It’s three weeks since my last SAL post and those three weeks have been pretty much taken up with Christmas preparations and festivities, but I have managed a little progress on my flower embroidery. This is where I was three weeks ago;

I have now ‘grounded’ the leaves with a few french knots and seed stitches in an earthy overdyed embroidery silk

Next to stitch was the spiders web. I’d bought a hank of silver Lame thread by Anchor, I used a single thread and I have to confess (after all my moanings about gold threads etc!) it was lovely to stitch with, it’s a very smooth thread and it doesn’t unravel where the needle is. I stitched the long spokes first, catching in a leaf and the stem with it. Next were the circles, just starting in the middle and working my way out. At least with it being a spiders web it didn’t need to be a prefect shape!

The pattern calls for a spider earring or charm in the middle, I couldn’t find one small enough so I embroidered a tiny one in black embroidery silk. I stitched the legs first, my original plan was to put a bead for the body but in the end I did a big french knot. I think he’s pretty cute.

So I’ve now finished the first diamond, eleven more to go! I’m thinking of taking Di van Niekerks advice (the designer) and making a cover with a window to work through to help keep it clean. My problem is that at the moment I’m working on this either in my sewing room or at my monthly Embroiderers Guild meeting, I know I would get a lot more done if I stitched it downstairs in the dining room. I’ve got a good light set up right next to a comfy chair and I can pick it up for the odd 15 minutes here and there, that’s where I do most of my cross-stitches. The downside of the dining room is the dogs, particularly Rosie, our big golden retriever, it tends to get pretty dusty and hairy very quickly (nb we don’t eat in there!!) and inevitably this would be kept in a bag sitting on the floor as it’s rather big. Whilst I’m making a cover I think I will also put some fine cotton fabric behind the design to help with securing the threads at the beginning and end of stitching.

Hopefully you’ll see a bit more progress in three weeks time, next year!!

SAL is organised by Avis at Stitching beside the Sea, we each post our progress on a project every three weeks. I find three weeks is a perfect time for this kind of stitching, long enough to have made some progress (even if not a lot!) but short enough for everyone to remember the projects. It’s also nice to look back and realise the progress you have made.

Please have a look what everyone else is stitching, we’re all in different time scales so some may need checking a little later.

Avis at http://sewingbesidethesea.wordpress.com
Claire at http://claire93.wordpress.com
Gun at http://rutigt.wordpress.com
Carole at http://aslightobsessionwithbooks.wordpress.com
LucyAnn at https://lucyannluna.wordpress.com
Jess at https://everthecrafter.wordpress.com
Sue at http://sewingmagpie.blogspot.com
Constanze at https://textiledreamer.wordpress.com
DebbieRose at https://sewrosey.wordpress.com
Christina at https://petalsandpins.wordpress.com
Susan at http://susanpblog.wordpress.com
Kathy at https://livinginrapidcity.wordpress.com
Margaret at https://thecraftycreek.com/
Cindy at http://homeofaflossjunkie.blogspot.com
Helen at http://stitchingranny.wordpress.com

Welcome to Steph, our newest member at https://mymakingdoadventure.wordpress.com