Yesterday was Frog Day as I ripped out the remaining five sash blocks and restitched them with slightly less thread to allow all the elements of the stitching to show. I also ripped out the two rows of sash that had been stitched. I did that first, actually, so that I wouldn't disturb any sash blocks I had stitched a second time by ripping out the sash lines next door. In the photo above, the arrow points to the top of the canvas.
For the sash blocks, I used the following:
violet - substituted A3 for A1 - Splendor S1086
black - not used in in the sash blocks
terra cotta - C1 - Pebbly Perle P14
copper metallic - D1 - DMC metallic floss S279
You'll notice that only three of the four colors are used in the little sash blocks. You'll also notice that I substituted A3 which is a Splendor silk floss for the A1 (Impressions) on my thread list. The Impressions was just too heavy. Since my A3 thread is almost the same color as A1, I went to a floss and used two or three plies for the areas that have to be violet. I am also untwisting my Pebbly Perle and using 2 or 3 of the plies you get from unraveling the strand instead of using the whole strand. I want the various elements of the blocks to show, not be hidden by something else, so I am adjusting thread weights and coverage as I go.
The sashing that divides the 12 star pattern blocks on this quilt design is done in B-1 which in my case is black Soie Crystale silk floss #0020 from Caron. The stitch is a very intricate one called the French Interchange Pattern. In the photo above you see the first step, which is the little vaguely floral patterns. The second step is to cover the empty spaces with two rows of slanted lines. I've started doing this but haven't finished.
If you look carefully at the larger version of the photo, you'll see the little flower shapes have been overstitched with a strand of purple Accentuate #16. I thought I'd try doing this to reveal the pattern better. Otherwise I might as well just do all the sashing in long slanted stitches entirely. The fancy stitch will not show up in black. What do you think? Is it worth the trouble to overstitch the design to show off the fancy stitch or should I just do all the sashing in plain long slanted stitches? How will violet bits in the sashing look with the large solid black border that outlines all the star blocks? I can't decide!
So I've added a poll at the top of the page.
UPDATE: To help you understand my puzzle, take a look at the cheerful and happy colors Sara Leigh is using for the top border and big corner of her Stars project. The widest border which is blue in her version will be black in mine and I want my sashing to look good with it.
http://remedialstitcher.blogspot.com/2010/02/slight-progress.html
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
