As I discussed way back in... oh my gosh, June? I decided to stitch this one in all black. I am so pleased with the results.
This may be one kit where I should have used regular, divisible 6-strand embroidery floss, rather than my preferred cotton perle #8, which is thicker. The stitching is rather close and I'm afraid some of the details have gotten lost. Eh. Live and learn.
I still really love the all-black flowers on the crisp white pillowcases. Very modern.
I did a pretty good job of using the thread I had on hand, and this time I matched my colors pretty closely to those recommended by Tobin. I think there could have been a higher contrast between the two shades of purple, though. And the green isn't a shade I normally use, but it worked nicely here. Overall, I am very happy with how this turned out.
I used DMC cotton perle #8 in these colors:
This is the Gloriosa pattern from Tobin, available from JoAnn Fabric and Crafts. The first time I saw this pattern I thought it was just stunning. I still think so. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Unfortunately, my photography skills don't do it justice.
The giant center of French knots was fun, but I found it difficult to keep the edge rounded. I'll have to keep practicing that. The texture of a big mound of French knots is wonderful.
I think this pattern is just so lovely. I am mostly happy with it, but I don't care for the dark blue that I chose. Again, I was trying to use colors that I have on hand, but I think the dark blue called for in the pattern would have been better- more of a cornflower blue, not quite as dark. Oh, well. Next time.
I used DMC cotton perle #8 in these colors:I'm a sucker for cotton muslin.
I ordered this set of antique pillowcases from ebay. One was completed, the other barely started. The finished case is much whiter than the unfinished one, but I had no way of knowing if the unfinished case would wash up after it was stitched. It didn't. Actually, it is a bit better, but not much. I don't think I'll ever do this again. The fabric is far better than anything I could buy today in a kit, but the whole time I was working this pillowcase, I kept thinking, I don't know where this has been, who handled it over the past several decades. And of course, you can't wash it before you finish stitching because the stamped pattern is water soluble. It made me want to wash my hands repeatedly.
Also, my stitching is very different from the original stitcher's. I connect my cross stitches, but the other pillowcase is stitched with each X independent. That is why my case looks darker.
I'll be keeping this set for myself, but I hope to do the pattern again on a clean, new set of pillowcases.
See, the real draw was the original pattern included. I fell in love with those deco flowers. Next time I'll use deco colors!
I painstakingly matched up the wild colors chosen by some unknown person long ago.
DMC rose #335
DMC aquamarine #3814
DMC medium tangerine #741
This pattern is from the brand Tobin and I purchased them from from artscraftsusa.com. I've become a big fan of Tobin's patterns, but they are harder to find. Now, arstcraftsusa has the largest selection of Tobin products that I could find, but I doubt I'll order from them again. Their service was less than stellar. The order trickled in a couple items at a time, over a 6 week period, with no communication or indication of partial orders. There is still one item that I ordered, which I was never charged for, was never sent, but showed up on every packing slip as filled. But, I did placed a large order and I think I bought everything that I want from that store anyway.
Mostly, I used the colors that I had on hand, I only had to order the dark grey to finish the kitties.
Colors used in DMC cotton perle #8:
But back to the bunny and doe.
I used DMC cotton perle #8, my favourite.
very light brown 435
cream (from my old stock- I think it is supposed to be white)
dark salmon 3328
salmon 760
light old gold 676
ultra dark coffee brown 938
It was difficult to photograph from outside and still catch the details, so here it is from the inside looking out. Just imagine the image flipped.
Unlike usual, I followed the recommended colors. Except for the words His and Hers. The pattern called for one of the greens, but I decided I wanted them in blue and pink, respectively.
While I really do like this pattern, I don't think I will duplicate it. In fact, I think it will be a long time before I do another cross stitch. I'm too impatient and cross stitch take much longer than regular embroidery.
I do have this tip, though, should anyone out there decide to do this pattern. I worked one color at a time. I did the stems first. With the flowers, I worked from the inside outward. I bought a washable fabric pen ages ago. When I started each new color I marked the center of the stitch. Then I would work all the stitches in that color before moving on to the next color. I did each pillowcase this way, so I didn't have to consult my chart every two seconds.
I "borrowed" the pattern from a pattern I saw somewhere. Don't ask me where now, I should learn to make note of such things, but I'm always sure I'll remember. It wasn't my best project, I'll admit, I envisioned them turning out a bit differently. But Aunt Lu seemed to like them, so I guess that's all that matters.
As I've become such a fan of variegated floss, I did two of the kittens with variegated dark grey, variegated tans (think Oliver-colored), and the third in solid soft grey. I didn't write the color numbers down, and when I went back through my floss, I couldn't tell which I had used.
I used a really nice set of pillowcases that I ordered from J.C. Penney, in yellow, which doesn't show up very well in these pictures, does it? The quality is great, and the pleated ruffle is adorable, but the fabric was a bit too stretchy for embroidery.
I did this set for Nanny, and I had her choose the colors she wanted. I'm not in love with the peachy color for the flower, at least not against the yellow pillowcase. Actually, it looks better in the photos than in real life.
I love how each of the critters turned out, so full. But I did have a little difficulty getting started with the contrasting edges. I couldn't figure out if it worked best to do the edges first then the fill, or the other way around. I don't think I ever decided. The puffy satin stitches makes such a neat texture. A lot of work, but worth it. I think these would be perfect for a little girl. I don't have anybody in mind at the moment, so I just have this set stashed away for now.
By now you know I didn't use the recommended colors, mostly because I didn't have them, and partly because I liked these better. I love, love that green. This time I used regular embroidery floss.
Posies! I always think of my grandma Gloria when I hear the word posies.
I used DMC cotton perle #8 again. I have so much of that kind of thread, I'll never use it all! In fact, three of the four colors I used on this project were new. I'm trying to use the old stuff up, but the colors just weren't right. I'm so pleased with how this set turned out. The pattern is simple, but so pretty. I had intended to do this set for myself (a first) but when it was done I couldn't help thinking about how much my grandma Gloria would like this set. She was very pleased when I gave them to her. Now I just have to do another one for myself!
I used only one color of floss, since it was variegated: DMC variegated green #94.
I did the entire pattern in stem stitch, which I am now pretty good at! But it did get a little boring. I think if I hadn't been trying to get these done for Christmas, I would have worked on a different set at the same time, one with a different stitch to keep things interesting. I wish I could remember where I found this motif. Somewhere out there on the web.
All wrapped up for presents!
I just loved these, although they looked a bit plain when I finished the stitches, so I added the dark green ric-rac.
The great, strong colors of thread used:
Oh, well. Didn't really matter. Grandma Gloria knew exactly which set she wanted: this set. I think it is mostly because I was working on this set for several weeks during her cardiac rehab therapy. Either that or she just likes that the peach matches her bedroom.
Thread used:
