Thursday, April 20, 2006

Questioning my sanity

I'm still working on Castle Sampler, trying to finish it before the start of Persian Iris Garden. I'm mostly working on the backstitching in the outer border, so there really isn't any progress worth showing yet. Maybe in another day or two.

In the meantime, I'm starting to wonder what I'm getting myself into with the Persian Iris Garden online class. Challenge #1 is the fabric-- 32 ct. black Belfast. I've stitched two other projects on black fabric in the past. The first was a Cross My Heart leopard on 16 ct. aida (I hadn't learned about linen back then).

Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com


After I finally completed that design, I swore I'd never stitch on black fabric again. Then I decided to do TW's The Castle on black fabric. This time I used 28 ct. jobelan, which I found much easier to work with than the black aida.

Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com


Challenge #2 is the beading, for which there are two options. The first option has only 1,788 beads. The other option includes beaded corners (the bit with the irises) and uses 4,432 beads. I like beading and all, but that's a LOT (!!!) of beads. Realistically, this isn't much more than Angel of Love, which I stitched years ago for my mom. It had 4,110 seed beads, so I should be able to manage with 122 more.

What's daunting is the thought of all those beads on BLACK fabric. Combine that with the sheer size of the design (293 x 293), and you can see why I wonder what I'm getting myself into. Still, I love a stitching challenge, so I'll be anxious to start this one. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long for the supplies!

3 comments:

Singular Stitches said...

Black fabric. You brave, brave woman.... I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines!!

LivnLaf said...

I think if you focus on one section at a time instead of the entire piece as a whole...you won't find it so overwhelming. Maybe have a couple easier projects on hand to keep yourself from burning out on such a large project. As far as working on black goes...I feel your concern. I'm agonizing over a piece as well and decided to only work on it in bright Day light outside on my deck.Many people suggest an uplight where the light shines up from the floor to the back of the fabric. I tried the white cloth on my lap and it doesn't seem to work that well for me. I guess she(designer) doesn't call them "Challenges" for nothing :-)

Cathy B said...

I have never worked with black fabric - I admire your bravery!