I’m so excited! My wizard cross stitch is finally back from Aaron Brothers and looks beautiful framed. The mat really makes it pop! I couldn’t resist sharing the result. The framers were unable to use stretcher bars on this piece because there wasn’t enough fabric around the edge. Instead, they wound up stretching it by hand and stapling it to the foamcore backing. You may wish to keep this in mind when considering Dimensions brand kits.
Abracadabra! I started this Dimensions cross stitch kit about seven years ago. It spent most of that time languishing in my closet until this summer. Once I finally started working on it in earnest, it went super fast. I think it took about five months to complete.
I love the dimension and texture the designer created by using halfstitch, couching, and blending colors. Every so often I’d fill in a couple of stitches and be amazed at how they made all the difference. This is a great example of how skillfully manipulated details in the right places make a project shine.
Looking at the chart, I was worried about how, um, phallic one of the candles looked. I was relieved when I actually stitched that section that it didn’t resemble a penis after all! It’s amazing how much color can change our perception.
I did make a few subtle changes. In some areas I miscounted, but I was able to fudge it so it looked great and I didn’t have to take out and redo a whole bunch. The wizard’s glasses were supposed to have a chain hanging down, but I think they’re cuter without. I also added gold to some of the dragon’s outlining to add a little more magic. Goes to show that even a minutely outlined project improves with a little creativity. This also reflects my “pantser”/“Make it Work” work style. 🙂
I’m really proud of myself for finishing! I also learned a new skill completing this project: couching! Despite the fiddly gold threads, I think I did a good job.
Behold!
I couldn’t stop stitching today since I was so close to the end. And now I’m on to the backstitching and couching! Woohoo!
I plan to catch up on studying Japanese and the social side of social media this weekend. 🙂
When I embarked on my current counted cross stitch project, I decided to try out a tip. I used white thread to stitch a 10 x 10 grid on my aida cloth. This reference did make it much easier and faster to stitch as it reduced the need to carefully count. I could determine the location of any stitch primarily spatially and never had to count higher than five to find my place.
But once I’d completed the top of the piece, I decided to test the tipster’s assertion that the grid stitches would be easy to remove. Turns out it’s a very finicky process. I wound up accidentally cutting a couple of cross stitches and having to leave some grid thread pieces where they were inconspicuous so I didn’t cut more of my project. I removed the grid threads from the rest of my fabric and don’t think I’ll use this method again.
My troubles with gridding my cross stitch project made me think about my struggles with outlining. I’m what’s often referred to as a “pantser” because I write by the seat of my pants instead of relying on an outline. I usually have a general idea of where I’m headed and even have some detailed scenes I know I want to get to along the way, like taking a road trip and penciling in a few must-see destinations and an end point, but leaving the rest up to serendipity. I’m one of those authors to whom her characters are very real, separate beings who tell me their story. My job is to listen and record, sometimes running along after shouting, “Wait! I can hardly keep up!”
Writing with an outline feels very restrictive to me, rather like rally driving. When I was required to turn in outlines for school papers, I almost always wrote the paper first and then the outline. My sophomore year of high school I finally figured out a nonfiction outlining style that worked for me. Using 3″ x 5″ cards I wrote down the points I wanted to make and supporting information. Then I sat down and rearranged the cards until I had a stack that led me almost from sentence to sentence. But I’ve only done this for thesis-length research papers. And for fiction, it feels too regimented and constricting.
I’ve heard a lot of great things about different styles of outlining, like the grid or post-it notes, and I keep trying because it seems like such a good idea. I have yet to find my match, though.
How do you feel about outlining first? What works best for you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
I’m very pleased to be back to cross-stitching. For those who don’t know, I was unable to stitch for many years due to my burns (I’m a burn survivor) and CRPS/RSD. I have a hard time just sitting and not doing something with my hands (probably due to inculcation of too intense a work ethic) and it’s lovely to be able to listen to books and news or debates on YouTube and do something meditative, productive, creative, and beautiful at the same time. I’m currently working on a Dimensions® Gold Collection™ cross stitch kit by Myles Pinkney called “Scarlet Wizard”. As of tonight, here’s my current progress. I love how the back looks like an impressionist painting of the front!
Honeycomb's Hive 