Away a bit longer

For all topics which do not fit in the other categories.

Moderators: rcperryls, Rose, karen4bells, Serinde, Alex

Post Reply
User avatar
kingfisher68(2)
Posts: 681
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:13 pm
Location: UK

Away a bit longer

Post by kingfisher68(2) »

than expected but am back home now. We went away for a few days end of May then DB & SIL booked last minute holiday so we house sat for them, back home now. DB & SIL have a small garden & DH looks after watering that while I just laze :D Still have to get food tho' don't I? :lol:

Unfortunately I didn't get to finish kitten. It was so much dark grey & brown blends even with magnifier it hurt my eyes. 3 pewter shades & 3 browns in different 2 strand blends & although I don't mind blending threads, on this it was just too much. I thought it may have been pollen affecting eyes but when I started on it again after a few days break the sore eyes came back & were very sore all day. So decided I had given it a good go & not worth continuing so it ended in the bin. Also the threads were not up to standard Dimensions have been before. Some threads thick & others thin. And I did find it hard stitching backwards all the time. Most likely will give it another go in a couple of years time & will use my own threads & do it on 16 count not 18; realise my eyes cannot take that size now even with strong magnifier. Most important of all I will stitch my usual way not backwards. If anyone on here does it & stitches the way it says would be glad to see it & to know how they got on.

In between coming home & going to DBs got another chart, enlarged it, sorted threads & fabric & took it with me. Have made a good start on that & will post pic on here in a couple of days.

Hope everyone is well, will catch up on what you've all been doing in next few days.
Izzi

If you believe you can you wil

Finished 2017
Pleasant Row Cottages
Kingfisher & flowers
User avatar
Mabel Figworthy
Posts: 32993
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:05 pm
Location: Dunchurch, UK
Contact:

Re: Away a bit longer

Post by Mabel Figworthy »

:wave: Welcome back! Sounds like a nice relaxing house-sit, even if you did have to provide the food (ready meals and poached eggs anyone :-) ? I'm sorry the kitten proved too much for you :-( but this is our hobby and meant to be enjoyable! By the way, what is backward stitching?
Visit Mabel's Fancies at www.mabelfigworthy.co.uk
WIPs
Elizabethan Beauty, RSN Certificate & Online
Waiting
Soli Deo Gloria, Mechthild, bling unicorn, goldwork & silk shading kits

Flights of Fancy (blog)
Mabel's FB page
User avatar
Serinde
Posts: 18498
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:46 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Away a bit longer

Post by Serinde »

Mabel Figworthy wrote: I'm sorry the kitten proved too much for you :-( but this is our hobby and meant to be enjoyable! By the way, what is backward stitching?
I'm sorry, too, about the kitten, but another go at it later with better thread and a lower count fabric might just do the trick. And I wondered about backward stitching, too... :lol:
User avatar
rcperryls
Posts: 32991
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2011 1:36 pm
Location: SC, USA

Re: Away a bit longer

Post by rcperryls »

Serinde wrote:
Mabel Figworthy wrote: I'm sorry the kitten proved too much for you :-( but this is our hobby and meant to be enjoyable! By the way, what is backward stitching?
I'm sorry, too, about the kitten, but another go at it later with better thread and a lower count fabric might just do the trick. And I wondered about backward stitching, too... :lol:
I agree completely. If it is painful to your eyes, it isn't worth doing. Backward stitching?

Carole
:thinks:
WIPs
Star Wars Afghan:Chewbaca
HAEDs:
O Kitten Tree
Dancing with the Cat
Everything else "on hold"
2022 Finished: Star Wars Afghan: Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Finn, Rey, Poe, Han Solo,Darth Vader, BB8,Luke Skywalker
User avatar
Lulu22
Posts: 2307
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:26 am

Re: Away a bit longer

Post by Lulu22 »

What a shame you had to bin your work but hobbies should be fun not a trial, I'm looking forward to seeing your new project :)
WIPS
Snow
Gamer Nouveau
Clara
Meadow
User avatar
kingfisher68(2)
Posts: 681
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:13 pm
Location: UK

Re: Away a bit longer

Post by kingfisher68(2) »

I will definitely do the kitten again as it has the most wonderful expression in its eyes & the colour showed up really well against the darker bits of the nose area.

Backward/reverse cross stitching is when threads go the opposite way to which you normally stitch. Back-to-front stitching really .

When I stitch the 2 geisha Dimensions kits I will do them on 16 count instead of 18. There is enough thread supplied with the kits to do a few extra of each colour. When I did those before the threads themselves have been of a decent quality so I was surprised when they were not that great with kitten.
Izzi

If you believe you can you wil

Finished 2017
Pleasant Row Cottages
Kingfisher & flowers
User avatar
Mabel Figworthy
Posts: 32993
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:05 pm
Location: Dunchurch, UK
Contact:

Re: Away a bit longer

Post by Mabel Figworthy »

Still can't quite visualise it :thinks: :thinks: - do you mean that usually your top stitch would be, say, bottom left to top right, and here it's bottom right to top left? I've had that occasionally when a piece called for half cross stitches, and the were done in the opposite direction to my usual top stitches. I'm afraid I just reversed the half stitches :-)
Visit Mabel's Fancies at www.mabelfigworthy.co.uk
WIPs
Elizabethan Beauty, RSN Certificate & Online
Waiting
Soli Deo Gloria, Mechthild, bling unicorn, goldwork & silk shading kits

Flights of Fancy (blog)
Mabel's FB page
User avatar
kingfisher68(2)
Posts: 681
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:13 pm
Location: UK

Re: Away a bit longer

Post by kingfisher68(2) »

Yes that's right Mabel. Attach pic of part of instruction sheet which shows reverse half cross stitch & then reverse full cross stitch. Had not seen or heard of it until I undid this kit, didn't realise there was such a named stitch. Always something to learn isn't there? I hve an old stitch booklet by Anchor of 100 embroidery stitches & it wasn't in there or any of my cross stitch books.

Here it is:

Image
Izzi

If you believe you can you wil

Finished 2017
Pleasant Row Cottages
Kingfisher & flowers
User avatar
Mabel Figworthy
Posts: 32993
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:05 pm
Location: Dunchurch, UK
Contact:

Re: Away a bit longer

Post by Mabel Figworthy »

Ah, Izzi, I think I can solve your problem for you! That's not a separate stitch, it shows you what the back of cross stitch and half cross stitch looks like! In some of the other languages it's clearer, they say "backside". Hope that helps!
Visit Mabel's Fancies at www.mabelfigworthy.co.uk
WIPs
Elizabethan Beauty, RSN Certificate & Online
Waiting
Soli Deo Gloria, Mechthild, bling unicorn, goldwork & silk shading kits

Flights of Fancy (blog)
Mabel's FB page
User avatar
kingfisher68(2)
Posts: 681
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:13 pm
Location: UK

Re: Away a bit longer

Post by kingfisher68(2) »

Thanks Mabel. I usually stitch from bottom left to top right & then bottom right to top left. I had to really think before I did each stitch on the kitten & make sure the top threads went from bottom left to top right.
Izzi

If you believe you can you wil

Finished 2017
Pleasant Row Cottages
Kingfisher & flowers
Post Reply