The Needlework Police is Knocking

Hannah Breed has languished in my stitch stash for years!  One of the reasons Hannah has languished in the stash is because I was afraid to start her!  Fear #1 has been faced--Hannah has been started.  My second fear and reason Hannah has been so long in waiting is because of the Queen stitches!  Darlene O'Steen in her book The Proper Stitch says this about the Queen stitch.

Queen stitch, also known as rococo stitch, though time consuming, is one of the loveliest stitches found on works from the seventeenth century.  When Queen stitch is pulled, a lacy effect is achieved, creating a stitch "fit for a queen."  The resulting pattern of the Queen stitch is a diamond shape with center tacking stitches.

Before I tackled the Queen stitches on Hannah Breed, I got out my trusty, old faithful, doodle practice piece of linen and gave the Queen stitch the old college try.  The first ones looked terrible!  Since Hannah was nine years old when she stitched this sampler, I was not willing to concede defeat and continued stitching.  Admittedly, the more stitches I made, the better looking they became.  As is the case with most needlework, I believe the secret to the Queen stitch is the correct amount of tension.  I will agree with Darlene the stitch is time consuming and uses lots of fiber. 

I had big plans for the weekend up to and including cleaning out the leaves from the hellebore (Lenten Rose) bed.  Mother Nature had other plans which included heavy rain and tornado warnings. 

Am selecting fibers and linen for Stacy Nash's Christmas at Hollyberry Farm.  I am changing the fibers from Gentle Arts Sampler threads to Needlepoint Silks, (because I enjoy stitching with Needlepoint Silks).  I will be stitching Hollyberry on Weeks 35 count straw.  I am determined to have a Christmas sampler for 2013!

Got to run, the doorbell is ringing, I suspect it is the Needlework Police coming to inspect my Queen stitches.

Scarlet Letter--Hannah Breed

It is a rainy, overcast winter day at Thistle Manor and the perfect day to make stitching progress on Hannah Breed.  Am so appreciative to Nicola for challenging everyone with her red letter year of The Scarlet Letter. The Hannah Breed sampler has been languishing in my stash for years.

Hannah is being stitched on 32 count vintage examplar liner by Lakeside.  (am still having anguish over the R & R 18 Century Brown).  Am using Kreinik Soie d' Alger silks.  My second challenge with Hannah (the first being the linen) is two of the silk colors.  The colors were so light, when stitched onto the linen, they were lost.  I wanted to stay as true to Hannah's original sampler as I could, but made the decision to use a darker color.  The colors for Hannah range from very pastel to bright blues and reds.  Am thinking Hannah used the fibers she had or perhaps borrowed fibers from someone else.

Several years ago, friends were visiting with their young daughter.  I remember the daughter asking her Mother if I was learning my ABC's because there was an ABC chart is every room!  Well, Hannah must have been learning her ABC's because she has stitched five sets of alphabets into her sampler.

Am waiting for a couple of fibers to fill in the missing letters of the alphabet.  Was so anxious to get started stitching on Hannah, I started before all the fibers arrived.

As we enter 2013 I will leave with the words from one of my favorite prayers;

May the roads rise to meet you, may the winds be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Fabric Auditions

It has been a quiet and peaceful day at Thistle Manor.  Taking advantage of the peace and quiet, I decided to start the fabric auditions for Hannah Breed.  There were four linens which made the initial selection.

• R & R Reproductions 32 ct Sheep's Straw
• R & R Reproductions 35 ct 18 Century Brown
• Weeks Dye Works 35 ct Straw
• Weeks Dye Works 35 ct Havana

The Weeks Dye Works 35 ct Havana was eliminated because some of the fibers got lost on the fabric and the R & R Reproductions 32 ct Sheep's Straw was eliminated because of the thread count.  I was having a difficult time choosing between the R & R Reproduction 36 ct 18 Century Brown and the Weeks 35 ct Straw.  I phoned my partner in crime/enabler/consultant/friend, Carmen for guidance.  Carmen made a great suggestion:

Place one half of the fibers on one of the fabrics/linen and the other half of the fibers on the second fabric/linen and see which fabric/linen works best.  Choose the fabric/linen which makes the colors "pop." 

This was great advice.  Doing this, gives instant results and makes the decision much easier.  So. . . which linen made the final cut?  The R & R Reproduction 35 ct 18 Century Brown.  Yes, when I placed the fibers on the linen, I could instantly see the colors pop and the bling.  I had to order a couple of the fibers and as soon as they arrive, stitching will begin on Hannah.

After all these years, Hannah Breed is going to become a reality!