I must say the Headmaster is keeping us on our toes with the first stitch (February 2009) of ANG's Stitch of the Month program.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2009/feb.php
It's called Donahue Stitch and is new to me. I found it a bit tricky to compensate, even though I started working it across the middle to learn the stitch. I did some test stitching on a scrap of congress cloth before actually tackling the real piece but it was still a bit tricky for me to master. Practice makes it easier, though, and after about 6 rows I understood what I needed to do.
You'll remember that Mr. Minieri's model is stitched on 18 count canvas with three plies of silk floss for stitch one. I mis-read the directions to say four plies and since I am using congress cloth I thought three would cover. But when I started stitching, the pattern looked lumpy and uneven despite my using a laying tool. I've discovered lumpy and uneven stitches no matter how hard you are trying are a sure sign you are using too many plies, so I ripped out the rows I'd done and threaded up with two plies. The result is above, a nice smooth pattern. And I re-learned a lesson about reading charts--read them CAREFULLY!
Luckily I did manage to turn the canvas on its side before starting to stitch but it was a near thing.
Please note that I made sure the bottom hem of the design is 6 threads tall. To do this, I started my Donahue Stitch right on top of the line dividing the bottom of the Feb. stitch from the hem. The only part of the design that has to meet Tony's specs exactly is this hem, the cuffs on the sleeves, and the trim running down the front of the jacket from the collar to the hem. Each has to be 6 threads wide or tall (except the hem is 12 threads since two pieces of trim meet). As long as you watch and count there, you can adjust every place else.
Stitch one has already taught me a new stitch, enabled me to show off that I know when to be careful, and demonstrated to us all the importance of paying attention when reading directions. Many thanks to ANG and Tony Minieri for enabling me to demonstrate that I'm an idiot in public! LOL
(Seriously, this is going to be fun!)
Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
6 comments:
ROFL, Jane, you are anything BUT an idiot (big grin).
And also, what a noble person you are sacrificing yourself like this and finding out all the hidden roadblocks so that the rest of us can have a smooth sailing (just feel like teasing you a bit this morning)
And you are so right about paying great attention in reading instructions. I do charts all the time and sometimes I make a mistake (yes I still do) because of overconfidence :-(
Pierrette =^..^=
Pierrette, you could have fooled me about the idiot thing when I discovered my mistake with the number of plies! And when I almost turned the canvas the wrong way to do the Donohue stitch!
We all can be idiots when we stitch but it's not a fatal condition. Actually you can learn a lot from messing up, as I am sure you well know!
Thanks for the support, though. Keep your fingers crossed about the charted version of the Glittering Kimono line drawing.
Thanks for the heads up on this Jane! I finally have decided what background and what colorway I will be doing! Now I can start on this piece in the next day or two.
Excellent news, Pat. I can't wait to see what you have chosen!
Hi Jane,
Thanks for the heads up on this piece. Linda & I just decided to join in the ANG fun....as the President of our local ANG chapter said, when will we ever get a chance to do a Tony Minieri piece like this one? So we are just waiting for our supplies to arrive to get started. We will keep you posted!
Hey, the Stitching Sisters are joining us! Hurrah! Have fun picking threads and canvas color. And keep your fingers crossed--I'm hoping ANG will put a charted version of the line drawing on the ANG website. Negotiations are underway....
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