Jo's Stitching 2023

[Steam.Jo]

Thank you,

I have been stitching on my Poppy Geese. The chart is challenging I have already mentioned that there are 6 small squares to one large square on the chart. The chart has other features like what looks to be thick hand drawn lines (yellow arrow) that could be backstitching but then when you look on the picture on the front of the kit there is nothing there:



The red arrow shows where there is a thick line that should be backstitched. Its not easy to spot I need to do the backstitching so I can work out where the blocks of colour need to go:



Onward..

Jo

[Nicola Main]

A challenge to be sure but you're getting on brilliantly with it. The Fall Fairy is beautiful

[Mabel Figworthy]

Place the stems wherever you think they would look good - it's your project after all

[rcperryls]

Place the stems wherever you think they would look good - it's your project after all

Mabel's advice is always good to consider. You are making beautiful progress despite the difficulties the chart has. Has it been hard adjusting?

Carole

[Serinde]

Agree with Mabel and Carole in this regard (as in many others).

[Steam.Jo]

A bit more work on the Poppy Geese:



This hand drawn chart continues to be confusing some of the arrows indicating the colours of the backstitching just give the colour symbol, others start 1 X of course both '1' and 'X' are valid colour symbols

The goose is not very clear but I have been enjoying stitching it.

Out in the conservatory I have my Rome piece on my wide floor stand. This was another of those Elbesee frames that had wing nuts all over it and I am not fond of wing nuts because it can be painful on the fingers to tighten them up. The real killer on this frame was the two that support the rotation of the top frame. On my other Elbesee frames all the threads on the fixings are metric on this they are 1/4" whit which meant that it was not possible to buy an off the shelf replacement knob so I made some of my own:



These knobs came off an old lawn mower and have had their nuts re-tapped 1/4" whit. And they are much better

Some progress on Rome:



Those are some of the windows at the bottom of the façade of St Peter's Basilica. Out of interest did you know that the wonderful white marble on this Basilica was "mined" from the Colosseum.

Jo

[rcperryls]

The first two claps are for the progress you have made on your two pieces, especially on the Poppy Geese with its confusing instructions. This would have been very difficult for a new cross stitcher. The last clap is for your solution for making your frame easier to work on. I truly admire your mechanical skills as much as I do your cross stitching!

Carole

[Steam.Jo]

Thankyou Carole,

No stitching today I have been framing

First my dragon:



I gave in trying to cut a mount for it as it just showed up anywhere the cross stitch was not perfectly square/straight.

The other is the Fall Fairy:



Who I have made a frame that matches the Spring Fairy:



Sorry the picture is at a slight angle I was trying to stop the lights reflecting on the protective plastic sheet. This is the pair together either side of my big Dutch Beauty sampler:



I am not a fan of framing

Jo

[rcperryls]

For not being a fan of framing you did a great job. There are two main reasons I spent so much of my cross stitch life, stitching afghans (like the one I'm working on most recently). The expense of getting pieces framed and how bad I am in framing pieces myself. Actually, there is another reason. I could never decide on which chart to choose when stitching something I knew would be a gift so with an afghan it's only deciding where to put the piece rather than which one to do.

Carole

[Steam.Jo]

Back to the poppy geese: One Lady goose done as is all the stitching on the right hand end



so time to do the left end. I keep looking at the three geese on this left end and they seem to be asking "where is she going?" of the lady on the right side. Most Geese would be making sure they ate the poppies rather than walking on by.

Jo

[Serinde]

Everything looking really good!

RE marble columns, why waste perfectly good building materials? Makes sense to me!

[fccs]

Wow, your framing is beautiful!!!

[Roland]

Absolutely gorgeous.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Gorgeous work all of them but those poppies are just so delicate and pretty!

[Steam.Jo]

My geese have been watching the coronation:



One to go then I can mount up a butterfly piece

Jo

[rcperryls]

they certainly look interested in the coronation. I love this piece! It is so delicate.

Carole

[Serinde]

Agree!

[fccs]

They are beautiful!

[Steam.Jo]

A couple of hints for anyone else tackling this piece:

The Poppy geese is done in single strand and the thread card's holes are too small to be able to easily pull out a thread so I have been using two additional thread holders:



That horrible looking green thingy came from China for about £3. Initially I thought it was not nice but on this piece I have been keeping separate needles with the remains of each colour on them as I go along and actually I like using it however horrible it looks.

The kit comes with a huge needle: Don't use it, it is too thick and hard work to find the holes in the linen so I have been using John James size 28 needles. In the UK there is a Lady selling 100 JJ needles at a time which are ideal for this.

I have stitched this using one of my older corner clamping Lowery stands to hold a 30" rolling frame without additional support. My later side clamping Lowery stand would not be strong enough to support this rolling frame.

And of course you wish to see the finished piece:



That is not a good picture due to the translucent linen so I will have to take it off the frame and photograph it in natural light with something white behind it. I will even show you the back

Time to take it off the frame then I can mount up the Marjolein Bastin Flowers/Butterfly one on this rolling frame

Jo

[rcperryls]

Congratulations on a beautiful finish. It is absolutely stunning!

Carole