This is finish #2 for 2023 so I’m on track with finishing two things per month. Of course, they’ve both been small so I need to get ahead with a few smalls and then tackle some of the larger projects.
This may be one the prettiest things I’ve stitched but . . I know . . I say that about everything I finish.
The Chart:
The chart is Deck the Halls by Liz Mathews and it was published in the Winter/Christmas 2022 issue of Punch Needle & Primitive Stitcher magazine.
The Linen:
The linen is Platina by Tropical Stitches. I love her linen. I love that the holes are not too tight and they’re not too loose. It’s 40 count and the holes should never be too loose but sometimes, on some linens, they do seem kinda floppy. Not all linen, even manufactured by the same company, can be different. I think it has to do with the quality of the raw materials (flax). Sometimes it’s lumpy and bumpy and slubby and sometimes the threads are very thin. Because I pull a thread to “square” my linen before cutting it, I find that sometimes the thread I’ve chosen will get so thick and slubby farther down from where I start pulling that I cannot even pull it and have to use a hat pin and pick it out. Sometimes, that thread I’ve started pulling gets so thin, it just shreds. I’ve said all that because the dyers order linen, mostly Zwiegart base and they are happy to get whatever they get these days. Linen has been quite hard to get so I doubt many of the dyers are squawking, even if the linen isn’t exactly what they consider to be 100% perfect. I have not been disappointed with Tropical Stitches’ linen at all. My only complaint is that it’s all a pre-cut size and mostly what is shown on the website is in the 18″ x 27″ range. She will dye larger sizes on request.
The Floss:
I used floss I had and I think the only one that’s called for is Lancaster Red. My black is Weeks’ Onyx. The others are all Victorian Motto floss. The light green is Wilderness Trail. The darker green is Jalapeno Pepper. The gold is something Moon Glow. It may be Eerie Moon Glow but I can’t figure it out.
The Finishing Plans:
I don’t know how I want to finish this. When I wrote the post about starting this, this is what I wrote:
The stitched area will be 3-1/2? x 4-1/4?. That’s a good size for a little pillow but I think I might want this framed. I’ll figure that all out when I’m done stitching it.
November 6, 2022 Blog Post
Katie Strachan has a video on adding beads. She’s done it on ornaments and small pillows. I kinda want to try that. Vince thinks I should frame it and I wouldn’t mind a frame. So . . any thoughts? Frame or pillow with beads around the edge?
Laura says
Love it! Great colors.
Dottie says
I kind of like the idea of beads around the outside and making it a little pillow – could still work as a bowl filler (I don’t think it would be too big for a bowl filler). But framed would be neat, too.
Christina Coats says
Hi Judy, frame it with beads, word of warning i find beading is addictive, just like adding french knots! Look forward to see what you do.
Christina says
Hi Judy, frame it with beads, word of warning i find beading is addictive, just like adding french knots! Look forward to see what you do.
Cindy F says
I love it!! I may have to pull out my copy of the magazine and stitch it up! I love small stitches! In fact I love them so much I ordered the 2023 Heart in Hand collector’s heart kit from Colorado Cross Stitcher (the floss is beautiful…Cottage Garden Threads). And since I was ordering that I went ahead and ordered the Hummingbird Sampler. Now I have to decide which sampler I will work on for Winter Camp. I was going to do the Blue Bird Sampler to “complete” my series of birds. I’ve done the red and the black crow but I really love the green too! Choices choices!!