Hi, how are you doing?

Unfortunately, my stitching has suffered a bit of a set-back. It will slow completion somewhat but I know that it has helped make a much better design.

The Pansy

The tangible realization of this chart as a piece of needlework has created a number of issues. Hopefully, the changes that stitching this section prompted will allow the rest of the design to flow more smoothly.

Here's what happened while stitching the Pansy...

NOTE TO SELF #1 reads "Move this section up a little". The placement of the images in this 'Fortune-Teller' is absolutely critical to its success (and one of the reasons that this is the 5th time I've approached it). Now that a fair bit of stitching has been done, I've tested the folds and can see that the Pansy is poorly positioned inside its' section. Fortunately, I spotted this before starting to stitch this flower.

I wasn't so lucky with the Daisy... the one that was sewn in the Stitching Update #1. I now realize that it, too, is poorly situated in its' allotted space and will need to be ripped out, repositioned and re-stitched... with corresponding alterations being recorded on the chart.

NOTE TO SELF #2 reads "Make all colours in this area one shade darker". The Pansy's yellow lower petal was to be stitched in DMC 3078 - but that colour had no 'punch'. I'm not sure whether making it darker (DMC 726) conforms to reality but it certainly makes for a much prettier piece. There were already 4 shades of yellow in the 'Fortune-Teller'. So, it was quite easy to 'slide over' the 3 shades that I was originally going to use for this petal and record the adjustment on the chart.

NOTE TO SELF #3 reads "Add 4 extra stitches here". The contour of the right-hand petal was slightly off. This was quickly and easily fixed by the addition of 4 more stitches... and, of course, another chart adjustment.

NOTE TO SELF #4 reads "Add 45270 here". My work-in-progress chart called for a full cross-stitch, using DMC 3052 Silver Green to create the centres of some of the 'Fortune-Teller's' flowers. I felt, though, that the quiet sparkle of a Mill Hill Petite glass bead would add much more interest and some texture... so, Mill Hill 45270 (Bottle Green) was added to my stitching, chart, thread list and key. No, I'm not making the same mistake twice (at least not in the same design!) Although I've chosen to make this addition, the bead won't actually be stitched onto the fabric until I'm done with my Q-Snaps.

NOTE TO SELF #5 was never written down. If I had written it, this page would need censoring!!!

After stitching the Pansy, I decided to re-test the folds. Everything was positioned nicely... no problem there. Except that the Pansy and Violet (2 predominantly purple flowers) were next-door neighbours and all that 'purple-ness' on one side of the 'Fortune-Teller' didn't allow the top to visually flow very well. Switching the positions of the Daisy and Violet would place the purple flowers opposite one another and give the 'Fortune-Teller' a more balanced appearance when it was closed up.

More ripping out, re-stitching and re-charting... arrghhh!

For the next Stitching Update, please click here

To go back to Stitching Update 1, please click here.