Hello ladies and gents
Here is the latest project I have been working on
It is a hardanger hankie bonnet I am stitching for my new godson
I found the pattern in a book, Joyous Occasions: A Collection of Heirloom Hardanger Designs by Emie Bishop
I am stitching on 28 ct white laguna (I think.. picked it up last week and now I can't remember.. man, I am only 34.. too young not to remember)
This piece is about 13" square

The idea is, you give this at baptism, then when they are older you remove the tack stitches and ribbon and tuck it into their wedding bouquet (or give it to their bride to tuck into her bouquet)

This is what it will look like when its done


This is what I have done so far
In between each of my zig zag lines is going to be doves eyes and wrapped bars.. with maybe a few picots



(I'll try and get a better close up.. new camera.. not sure how it all works yet)
And now here are my issues
The colored bit I just finished last night
Original design was in really muted shades of pink.. 225 family.. so I switched them out for goldy oranges.. 741 family
The greens are 3051 and 3052 (which are orignal colors)
When I put them all together they look great
But I am not so sure I am happy with them when stitched
I think the dark green is too dark and overpowering
So maybe move one shade lighter with the greens?
Or maybe its the goofy shape of the flower cluster thing thats throwing me off.
The flower cluster goes into every other zig zag, and in between is a satin stitched heart, supposed to be in the lightest shade- but I may just do it in white pearle thread. (and I may actually keep the heart in this design )

And with the flower cluster, now I am trying to figure out how to best secure the threads. It is a very open design, with 5 colors. And I don't want to carry any threads across the back. I am going to loop start every time. But there is not much to tuck tails into when I am finished. So.. knot? dot of clear fabric glue? tuck as best I can and hope it stays? Its not like this piece will be washed.. just once when I am done and maybe 1 or 2 other times?? But I would hate for any of the threads to come loose in 30 years when he gets married. The directions don't say anything about how to finish the back.
Have any of you done pieces like this with an open back and no real spot to tuck in tails? Right now I just left them long while I figure this out.

I think,you,have made a great start on an absolutely beautiful project. I don't know anything about Hardinger so I'm no help with what to do with your threads, but I think a lighter shade of green might be better, though it does look fine now. It's so hard to tell from what you have stitched as it might not be overpowering with more flowers. It certainly doesn't look like it from the picture with the pinks, but it might be the way they photographed it. I'm sure some of the experienced Hardinger switchers will have some ideas of how you can end the threads. I love this. It is sooooo pretty.

Carole

What a beautiful thing Great start

How gorgeous Looking forward to your updates

What a fantastic item you are stitching! I wish that I could answer your questions, but hopefully one of our hardanger experts can help you with them--Mabel???
Beautiful stitching!!

What an amazing piece of hardanger and you have made a really great start on it.

I agree that perhaps the green is a little bit dark although I must admit I didn't notice it until you asked about it. I am sure it will be a treasured heirloom by your godson's parents and later by the lad himself. What a lovely idea.

beautiful work

What a wonderful present I love the colors you chose I think they look great!!!!!!

Emie Bishop designs are always challenging in various ways. It sounds as if the flowers are going to be a bit clumpy at the back, but that won't really matter. If you cross as you go, this might be a good time to devise a way to stitch the flowers / and then\, which might keep all the tails in the centre where they can be hidden more successfully.

I'm not sure it's the greens that are the problem, if you'll forgive me. In the original design, the pink flowers (presumably for a girl) are very subtle and don't detract from the hardanger in white. Have you thought about using a light blue instead of the pretty, but very strong, golds?

What a lovely idea, and you've made a great start on it! I can see what Serinde means although personally I rather like the strong yellows, and think they stand up well to the greens that are there. Yes, the flowers will have more prominence than in the original design, but if that's the effect you're after it should be all right. If you want it to blend in more but keep the yellow, perhaps you could use lighter shades of both the yellows and the greens?

As for finishing, have you tried a pinhead finish? I haven't tried it myself but they say it is secure. You can see it explained (with some variations to try out) here

What an excellent and very different heirloom!!

That's just beautiful

Wonderful start!!!! It's going to look so cute!
Faith

Thanks all for the encouragement.

Serinde.. I think you are on to something. It may be the golds that are wrong.. not the greens.
(But in the original, with the pinks they chose.. these greens would be waay to dark.. not like in the photo)
I took a good look at this last night and consulted with my colorist (my sister who I am always asking for opinions) She thinks it's the 70's kitchen colors that is throwing it off. In the US, kitchens in the 1970's were harvest gold and avacado green... these colors, which gives the whole piece a 1970's retro feel. And these are also the color of marigold flowers.. which I don't like.

When I was at the store.. I originally had these golds, another yellow group, and a blue group in my hands. I picked these to avoid the "blue is for boys" and I thought the yellows were too muted to stand off against the white (and his mother likes orange) It was hard.. standing in the store thinking.. In 30 years when he gets married.. what color will work in his brides bouquet?? Well.. anything! Purples, blues, yellows, pinks, oranges.. they would all work.

I am going to stitch another flower in the oranges. It may look off to me simply because its the only thing with color on this piece.. maybe with another it won't look so strong? And flip it to the other side and stitch another in the softer shades of yellow I originally thought were too light. And who knows.. his mother likes orange.. she may not think these look "off" at all.. and I am obsessing over nothing.

While I work this all out, and get used to the colors against all the white, I've got plenty of blanket stitch edging and eyelets that need to be done.

That's a beautiful project and you've done a wonderful start!

I think the gold looks nice, but maybe for such a delicate project you could try a softer yellow?

Well, the lighter yellows work. So much happier with these. All I did was switch out the darkest with a lighter one in the color family.
Think I'll be able to finish this in 2 weeks?? Yikes my fingers have to fly.

Ooh! I've never seen one of these before. It's beautiful. yes, I can see that your revised colour choices are much better. Well done. Looking forward to seeing the finished result.

I love the new colors. The new yellow is so bright and works so well with the others. Will keep my that you get done in time. You have made so much progress already I think you will.

Carole

What a lovely keepsake. I agree with everyone else, the lighter yellow looks great