Jo's stitching 2022

[Steam.Jo]

Thank you. The last bead has gone on


I will leave it for this evening and plan to go over it with a magnifier tomorrow morning to make sure there are no more of those horrible broken threads before I take it off of the frame.


Nearly time to bring out my Fall Fairy

Jo

[Serinde]

Thought of you this morning when I read the weekly Inspirations newsletter, which was all about the importance of detail.

[Steam.Jo]

Thank you Serinde,

I have just finished going over the back and tidying in a couple of loose ends from doing those horrible scales. The metallic strand did like tying its self in knots and they looked horrible on the back

A picture of the full CD:



And you can find it at full resolution here: https://i.postimg.cc/1R23C32Z/PA280914.jpg

A quick reminder of all those beads



And a slightly closer shot of the Dragon:



And the same picture in full resolution: https://i.postimg.cc/wvZYVFFY/PA280916.jpg


I have put the Fall Fairy up to do next but as I am taking my Celestial Dragon and my TW Autumn Sampler to our sewing group in a little while I might get tempted on another TW piece. I should pick up my Peacock.

Jo

[mags]

Just fab-u-lous!

[rcperryls]

Absolutely magnificent!

Carole

[wendywombat]

I've really enjoyed watching this! It's not something I would ever stitch but I really congratulate you on this wonderful finish. Especially as it's caused you one or two moments of frustration!

[fccs]

Congratulations! It’s absolutely stunning!!

[Steam.Jo]

Thank you Ladies. I am rather pleased with it

I am back on my Fall Fairy:



Following her dress towards the border.

Jo

[rcperryls]

After all the beading and couching and "scaling" this must feel like a respite. Looking forward to watching this one develop. It's one of my favorite fairy designs.

Carole

[Nicola Main]

Well done Jo this is an outstanding finish and, as Wendy says, not something I'd do myself but I am in awe of your patience and tenacity with this and all the different aspects of it. A truly stunning piece!

Lovely start on Fall Fairy

[Steam.Jo]

Thank you Nicola

I got bored of the Fall Fairy last night so started fondling another kit Just to investigate it you understand. This is Teresa Wentzler's Harvest Sampler.



It was supposed to be a new, second hand kit, but I found someone had clearly started it by the marks on the chart



To make matters worse there were three rust marks from the needle being left in the fabric and having satisfied myself that they were only on one side, I went to Iron/Starch the fabric and realised there was a water stain in it where someone had clearly tried to remove the rust marks previously So having washed the fabric, while I hung it to dry, I investigated the contents of the kit.

The chart that came with the "Just CrossStitch" kit is awful. It is too small, black and white such that you cannot see the stitches on the chart and rather confusing as each of the patterns has its own stitching colours without explaining which it is referring to on the chart. I can see why the previous owner abandoned it.

Luckily I came to this kit from a different chart which is much clearer and uses colour to differentiate some of the stitching. Yes I was still confused as to which bit was the "Serpentine" rows but on the follow on sheet with "wheat rows", "Alphabet Rows", "Small Leaf Rows" and "apple Rows" finally it clicked: They were each of the patterns from the top to the bottom of the piece

The improved chart was enlarged and all stuck together into a single piece, I have left the threads as sorted by the original owner (not sure why they left them not in numerical order) and made up some thread cards for the usual TW blended threads:



TW says

This is a fun piece to stitch if you enjoy trying different specialty stitches (a dozen of them!) It is not too large, either, and moves along fairly quickly, and the chart is very clear. You definitely won't get bored with this design!

How long before I get tempted

Jo

[Steam.Jo]

I'm being good and have returned to my Fall Fairy this morning

However (yes one of those days) I found my Blue thread kept breaking... I thought Dimension kits comes with DMC threads but no where on the kit packet does it say DMC. So I am now suspicious: Chinese threads have a habit of breaking. Have they sourced cheap and nasty low quality threads

I also looked at the eye of the Bohin No 28 Tapestry needle I had been using under my Microscope... Another needle with an eye with sharp bits where the needle had been stamped out . I would not have expected this of Bohin they are supposed to be quality needles. So I have gone back to using a No 26 John James Chenille needle. I would prefer to use a Permin needle but I seem to have worn all of those out

Now I am wondering if Amazon is selling Chinese rubbish as Dimension/Bohin products and if they are doing it for anything else. I will see how the JJ needle handles this thread

Jo

[rcperryls]

The TW sampler is beautiful, of course. I've never seen a TW design I didn't love and didn't want to stitch. One of my very first "big" projects was a TW dragon sampler. I don't remember the name but it is one of the few I have hanging on my dining room wall.

The issues you describe with kits is one reason (maybe the main one) I try to stay away from kits. I have had luck with a few of them, but have also had a few big disappointments. I wonder if having just completed one of the most beautiful pieces ever (your fantastic dragon!) makes the beautiful Fall Fairy feel less challenging at first?

Carole

[wendywombat]

I do like this Sampler!!

Never done any TW designs...nor do I expect to do so!

BUT I am itching to see this one come to life under your needle, Jo.
Shame that you've had initial problems setting this up.

[fccs]

Another TW to watch come to life under your patient needle. Yay!!

I used to do more kits than I do now, but I almost always change out the fabric from something I like better. And as for the Bohin needles, I bought some in bulk from a very reputable brick and mortar store and they were horrible. The eyes were pitted and uneven, nothing like the ones I usually buy in the small packs. It made me wonder if Bohin sells their "seconds" in bulk to stores that in turn sell to us.

[Steam.Jo]

Bohin needles came in small packets but I will have to find some way of smoothing out the inside of the eyes. The weight/size is ok. I also have brought myself some #25 Tulip Hiroshima Tapestry / Cross-Stitch Needles and will give them a go.

In the meantime I have found a Permin needle to start on my sampler Only to find one of the coloured threads was missing and all of the DMC Perle #12 thread. Luckily my CD had some of the missing 3740 as one of the skeins left over. I have ordered a ball of the missing Perle so... Onward

Jo

[Serinde]

Meanwhile, you must email and tell Bohin there is a problem with their needles.

[Steam.Jo]

I am conducting an experiment: Previously with the size 28 (0.5mm diameter) Bohin needles I found the thread was getting hairy, fraying and falling apart. I suspected that the fraying and breakages was caused by the eye in the needle not being smooth and wearing through the thread.

I then went back to the kit to investigate what came with the kit. It was a size 24 (0.75mm diameter) needle which I considered too big for use on a 16 count fabric. The advantage of such a big needle is it will push the holes in the fabric much bigger before the thread goes through the hole which would reduce the wear on the thread. But I remain unconvinced that such a huge needle will fit through a hole that already has 3 double threads though it. Needless to say I have not tried it yet.

Tulip needles: Yes I brought a couple of tubes of very expensive Tulip size 25 (0.6mm diameter) needles to try. I have just completed stitching in the first thread using one of these. Yes they are quiet nice needles and more importantly the thread did not show any signs of getting hairy or fraying.

I am about to try with a John James size 26 (0.6mm diameter), and will report back on how it goes

[Prym size 26 are 0.59mm diameter, and Permin 0.6mm diameter. Another size 28 needle measured in at 0.47mm. ]

Jo

[Steam.Jo]

I have just tried pushing a number of size 26 needles, all 0.6mm diameter through this 16 count Aida:

The Tulip and Permin needles glided through with no effort

The Prym and John James pushed through smoothly. A very workable feeling.

A Gold plated needle brought in bulk on Etsy can only be described as rubbing its way through and took a bit of effort. They might be suitable for 14 count. but the inside of their eyes was not pretty.

Jo

[Nicola Main]

Interesting experiment Jo. I only use John James size 26 needles whether it's 14 or 16 count fabric. I'm not a fan of gold plated needles, nearly every one I've tried squeaked through the holes. I have one beading needle which is the perfect size which I got in a cheap packet of sewing needles for sale in my shop. I believe the brand was Homeware Essentials but I couldn't tell you what size it is. It's in my tin if I ever need it for beads which is hardly ever