Mabel's silk gauze experiments

[Sarah Gixxer]

Wow, Mabel, that's so tiny! It makes the needle look as big as a barbecue skewer, hehehe! Well done, if you can stitch that tiny it makes my HAED seem all the more manageable on 25 count.

[Jilly]

I love to see your 'small' projects Mabel, (60 count ) a really interesting project, this will be great to follow

[Mabel Figworthy]

I moved the frame on the nameplate ready to start the O, which was basically counting, and re-counting, and then counting again, because I wanted to make absolutely sure that I'd got it right, and then putting in bits of old pillow case to protect the B. Then I felt that really I should be doing something different, and as the sunlight was streaming in through the windows I ought to make the most of it and start on that 60ct gauze .

Well, I mounted it onto the tiny frame David made me, which is nice and smooth but still manages to snag the silk I'm using, so I have to make sure it glides across my finger rather than the frame -- a bit fiddly, but it works.

The first thing I realised when I'd got it mounted was that even a size 28 tapestry needle was going to be too big, so I dug out a beading needle and that seems to do the trick. Anyway, here's the set-up:



I started with the green, using one strand of Eterna flat silk. It looks huge but it's actually about half as thick as a strand of DMC. It does divide further, but I rather like the coverage this gives. Anyway, here are two leaves -- once complete in the frame and once in close-up:

[Rose]

Mabel you are amazing. I would go nuts and never want to stitch again if I had to do something that small. Go Mabel GO!!!!

[Mabel Figworthy]

I actually have to stitch this without my glasses -- being near-sighted has its uses as I can look at the stitching very close. It does make it difficult to see the chart, though...

[~threadbear~]

Wow!
Mabel, I 'm in total awe.

[Busy_B]

Great!!!

[charmagne_capalad]

Hi! Just catching up on this...

This is really amazing Mabel! WOW!

[Jilly]

[Mabel Figworthy]

The advantage of having tried the 60ct was that the holes in the 32ct suddenly didn't seem that small . Here's the progress on the footstool cover. The footstool itself is still in bits, I'm afraid, as DH has been assembling bookcases -- not an unnecessary luxury in this household...

[charmagne_capalad]

Amazing!

[crazycat]

wow do this not hurt your eyes. i dont think i could cope with this. it looks fab

[Sarah Gixxer]

This is looking lovely, Mabel, I can't wait to see the finished footstool!

[coffee_freak]

brave u are..good job so far!

[Busy_B]

[~threadbear~]

This is really special Mabel, I think the stitching is beautiful and I love seeing it as it grows. I'm sure it wont take them very long to put the footstool together once they see your part nearing completion.

[Rose]

You are doing a fantastic job. You deserve a prize.

[Mabel Figworthy]

You deserve a prize.

More stash? *hopeful look*

[Jilly]

It's a beautiful design Mabel, this is going to be fantastic

[Mabel Figworthy]

Update on the 60ct rose -- and there are a few things I'd like to say about it:

1) When working on silk gauze, silk threads are definitely much better to work with than stranded cotton; it's not just that on the 60ct stranded cotton would simply be too thick, it's the smoothness of it, and the way the stitches seem to "settle" much better.

2) One nice thing about the 60ct is that when you start working on this scale, the back becomes almost indistinguishable from the front unless you look at it very closely -- a great bonus for a not-so-tidy-backer like me

3) It's remarkably quick to do. This is undoubtedly partly because this design has very very few thread changes (I've been able to do everything in the picture below with one continuous thread, and even now I only had to finish off because the next bit of green was too far away to carry the thread), but the openness of the weave and the relative rigidity of the fabric (the threads that make up the gauze interlock, so they don't move at all relative to each other) makes it very nice to work on.

4) Working on a relatively low count silk gauze, like the 32ct for the footstool, I would probably work full cross stitch if I'd thought of it; working in tent stitch doesn't give the coverage I would like (at least not yet, it may be better with the background filled in). Also, like work on canvas it looks better with the background filled in. The 60ct, as long as I keep my threads on the back neat, seems to work very well with the background open.

Enough theory, now here's the practice :