Sunday Stitching..the beginning of the end.

all of the cross-stitches are done (well unless I spot a missed bit) and the backstitching begins.

Initially I thought I was going to have to figure out what to use where on the backstitch by looking at the picture as there was no key for the backstitch.  However, what I had not noticed until today was a full sheet that is just the backstitch instructions.  Now that makes it sound as if the back stitch is going to be complicated, not the case, just the manufacturer has decided to give it a full sheet all of its own.

The talks today were about the value and quality of friendship, developing relationships and being there to support each other.  Delightfully two of the speakers are friends who live over 200 miles away and were here visiting family (who are also great friends) so the theme was most appropriate. They, the visiting friends are a married couple and I would say the recipients of a quilt I made, except the wife in the couple declared that the quilt is hers! Greek Key Quilt.

So here it is this weeks update.

Sunday Stitching an update

well as anticipated there was no Sunday stitching last week as I was giving a talk with a theme of "be of good cheer"

This week, whilst there has been stitching it was done at home whilst watching a recording of a conference session.  Why you ask? My mother was not feeling well today so we stayed home.

I have touched on my Mother's health before and hope you will excuse my adding in a non-craft related touch today.  My mother brought a leaflet home from her group and as a result set a goal to participate in a fund raising activity, and wearing a very purple T Shirt for a great cause.

Information on what we will be doing, and for my mother it will be a big thing to do, is available at Just Giving if you feel so inclined.

Back to the update, finished the burgundy

                                                               and made a start on the gold

Might make it to the backstitching next week?

Sunday stitching, a spot of burgundy

now you know I mean the colour and not the liquid variety.  No alcohol here.

Anyway the yellow is over and done with (well for full stitches at least) and although I had high hopes of being able to say the same for the next shade the burgundy has a way to go.  As it is Branch Conference next week and I am speaking not sure it will be finished then either.

Sigh, why does progress always feel so much slower once the end beckons?

V

I have mentioned before that this is a letter less represented in most commercial ranges of initialed products. It is also both my mother's and my best friends initial.

I found a broach for framing a small cross stitch or embroidery.  I wanted to make something for my mother as a Christmas gift.  The material I used has featured here before.  At this point I had made the  small-owls. but not the da-vincis-la-sacpigliata .

Once I had the material sorted I counted the available stitches and started looking through my pattern books.  I did find one and chose to stitch it with one thread over one.  As is often the case I miscalculated the available time and was stitching right up to the last moment.  I finished all of the cross-stitches and reached the backstitch.  At which point I there was a hitch, normally I would be working with two strands for the cross stitch and one for the backstitch.  It had not occurred to me  until I was at that stage, what was I going to backstitch with.  Now you can't split a single strand of floss (I did try it looks like it works but disintegrates when you try to sew).  Then I thought normal sewing thread might be thin enough, it wasn't, at the time no internet access or shopping so I was stuck.

Backstitch was necessary to the design as you can see and I was sitting utterly frustrated looking around feeling rather despondent.  When my eye fell upon a solution, a mad strange positively Victorian solution.  I thought about it and the madness of it and the appropriateness in an odd twisted way and decided to go with it.

Was Victorian enough of a clue?  No, well how about a little personal information, I have mid brown hair, a few strands of which are darker than others, and I wear it long.  Yes, as I despaired and looked down at the design, I saw my hair.  There was something thin enough, long enough, strong enough and just dark enough to do the job.  Always getting caught in sewing projects when I did not want it to (never mind clogging up the hoover and blocking the plugs) it amused me that this time hair in a project would be intentional.  It took two full strands to complete the backstitch and I  finished just in time to wrap it Christmas Eve.

Happily my Mother was also amused with her hair broach.

I would have used the same method to do the backstitching on La Scapigliata had I done the backstitching called for in the pattern. 

Sunday Stitching in to May

out of the green and into the yellow.  So little yellow left to go, oh self imposed time limitations are getting frustrating.  However, I promised myself so I better keep to my own rules.

As a little aside, the flag counter, and Blogger do not appear to be in agreement with the countries visitors to my blog are from.

So apologies if your country is not showing just yet.

I am hoping it will sort itself out.  It took several days for the flag counter to notice I had a visit from Portugal, although Blogger noticed it immediately.

I wonder when it will add the flag for the United Arab Emirates.