I guess I feel both emotions about it depending on how much there is of it, how complicated and whether I am just about to start it, in the middle and wondering if I should have started it or out the other side with the item finished.
I have been thinking about this conundrum again recently due to a birth sampler I have been working on.
You may recall my mentioning I had offered to do one and the only parameters the mother set were, pink and yellow.
My BFF brought over her collection of patterns from magazines and I found one I was drawn to. Another Forever Friends design (I have used one twice before) but to meet the parameters it needed some colour swapping.
The recommended material 16 count, I chose to do it on 14 as I had 14 to hand (I had contemplated 18 and I am so glad I did not, I will come back to that) and anchor threads.
I figured as I was changing blue to pink (and a pink bit to purple) anyway, and did not have a full range of the anchor threads I would colour match as best I could.
With just the cross stitching finished it does not look particularly prepossessing.
Particularly the flowers, insipid is more the word that springs to mind. However the design gave me hope that once the backstitch goes on then things will improve.
You can see the original with blue flowers here.
I had a bout of selective amnesia when looking at this design and recalling the previous successful Forever Friends (twice), I forgot that the designs have that most beloved of backstitch styles (not), they don't follow the x-stitches. They go between stitches, half way, in the middle, small stitches a third of a square! They require a needle with a point. Not too bad on the bear, but on the flowers, oh my so glad I was not trying this on 18 count.
I did the bouquet first and encouraged by the marked improvement moved on to the bear. Then the flowers in the border. It felt like there were more than twelve. Now initially I was not sure how much thread this was going to take and to ensure all the flowers were the same I decided to do them first, then the ribbon if there was enough dark pink left, if not I would change colour. I was already thinking the purple might be OK as was.
However, the more I looked at it like this, the more I liked all the ribbons without any backstitching. I even left it over night just to be sure it was a choice of taste rather than an avoidance of more maniacal backstitch. I even did one section along the bottom, contemplated it and unpicked it.
I like it like this, honest I do. I still have the name (more backstitch) and details to add and the frame to go. I will update with that later, at the moment I have run out of steam (but I do like it like this, it is not the lack of very hot water that is putting a halt ot the ribbon backstitching..hmm am I protesting too much perhaps? Nah this is good )
Before and during, not liking the backstitching at all, done it works and most of it was indeed needed.
Perversely, considering my comments about backstitch I like blackwork!
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