The flap on the front of the cameo ornament is done! Hurrah!
I did have some trouble with the mitered center as I failed to understand the mirror imaging at first but that was because I forgot the first rule of counted thread stitching: Read the instructions several times and study the diagrams carefully.
Gay Ann Rogers uses hand drawn diagrams which are very precise and detailed and I just missed the direction of one of the sections which had to be ripped out. My fault.
Anyway, this piece is attached at the top of its section to the front of the ornament so you can pin a cameo broach there. Lift the flap and unpin the cameo to wear it. I'm going to attach my cameo bead I got from Gay Ann but I want the flap liftable so the bead can be removed and a real cameo put on the ornament if my mother wishes.
I have the front and back of the ornament outlined. They are identical at this point but after I do the second step of the outlining, they will begin to diverge. By the way, if you look at the photos you'll see why I marked Top on my two canvases. The flap, front and back are symmetrical, which means it is easy to get confused and forget which end is up. Gay Ann's diagrams have the top marked and I think it is smart to mark the end of the canvas you are working as well.
My 24 count congress cloth is the sage green, a very pretty color when combined with the ecru-with-a-green-tint perle cotton. I am using #12 perle cotton from Valdani in color 15. I haven't used this thread before. I've discovered that it is softer and less shiny than DMC perle cotton. Like any perle cotton, it does become abraded going through the congress cloth. I have found that it is best to use around a 12 inch length. My cameo ornament is small enough that the longest length of thread I've needed is about 18 inches. The thread does knot itself if you aren't careful, which is another reason to use shorter lengths.
I am using the John James needles I won at the Gone Stitching Radio podcast when they had a prize from Terry Collingham of the Colonial Needle Company. I received a set of platinum needles and a set of gold needles plus one of their Pebble case assortments of tapestry needles.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Gone-Stitching
I am testing the gold needles on this project. Gay Ann Rogers recommends using a size 24 needle so I pulled one out of the package. The first thing you'll notice is the needles are gold in color, especially around the eye.
http://www.colonialneedle.com/cgi-bin/quikstore.cgi?search=yes&hits_seen=60&keywords=James
The second thing you'll notice is that they squeak going through the congress cloth! I tried them out on the Rabbit Geisha also and if you are going through a hole with a thread already there or if you are using the needle on congress cloth with perle cotton, the needle will give a little squeaking sound as it pushes its way through the hole. You soon get used to this and I only hear it occasionally anyway. I suspect I am using a slightly large needle for the congress cloth but Gay Ann says to use a size 24 because you are stitching with #12 perle cotton. Ordinarily I would be using a 26 size needle on congress cloth but I am stitching with a fat thread that needs a slightly larger needle eye.
So far I don't see any signs of wear on the needle. I have acid hands which take the plating off many brands of needles. I'll keep you informed about how well the gold needles hold up as I get further into the project.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
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