It’s three weeks since I last shared my Finery of Nature cross-stitch and if I say so myself, I’ve made pretty good progress! Three weeks ago this is where I was…
I’ve now finished the cross-stitch on the last bit of the nest together with the tip of the dragonfly wing and I’ve started the back-stitching. I do find back-stitching a bit tedious, so the amount needed on the nest was hard work, so I stitched a couple of threads on the nest and then did a couple of threads on the flowers around it. I’m getting there! I’ve started the flowers around the nest and I’m trying to stitch the border as I go along, rather than being left with the border to do at the end.
Decision time!!!
The border round the edge is meant to have gold thread couched onto it, but then again the whole cross-stitch was meant to be stitched on black aida with lots of gold thread. I didn’t want gold thread, I tried silver on earlier bits and that didn’t work either.
I decided to try few different colours – not too many as I’m not keen on undoing back-stitch! I tried a single thread of dark green first (middle one!) that just seems to disappear. I tried a double thread of dark blue (left), I think that’s my favourite so far. I also tried two strands of back, (right) as there is a lot of black back-stitches in the design. I feel that’s too harsh but I am open to opinions. So which do you think is best, or do I need to try and find a nice dark charcoal grey or darker blue. It is quite a dominant feature in the original design.
This Stitch-a-long is organised by Avis, if you would like to join us please send her a message. We post our own projects every three weeks, it’s great for motivation and encouragement. Please follow the links to see many more inspiring projects;
Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Linda, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Clare, Mary Margaret, Renee, Jenny, Carmela, Jocelyn, Sharon
I’ll also be linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday, please follow the link for more hand-stitched inspiration.
thecraftycreek 
You won’t like my answer- the black is my preferred colour so you can really see the design. It’s lovely as always.
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Black is growing on me, stepping back from it for a day or two helps 🙂
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I like the two strands of blue. It adds definition to the edge of the leaf, without standing out as a harsh line.
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I like the blue, I do wonder if it needs to be a shade darker though…
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amazing what a difference backstitch detail makes
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The back-stitching just lifts it doesn’t it.
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That dragonfly really came to life with the backstitching on his wings. If you find the black too harsh, try a dark gray. I don’t enjoy doing the backstitching either but it really does help to define everything in the picture. Beautiful work
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Thanks Gail, a nice dark grey is my next port of call!
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The dragonfly is gorgeous! Doesn’t the backstitch make a difference to his wings.
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Thanks Carole, I just need to choose a colour to edge the wings with now.
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Beautiful work!
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Thank you
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I like the blue and the black too. If you want it to blend better maybe try 890 for a very dark green or for a dark brown, what about 838 or 3371? (All DMC)
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Thanks Kathy, I tried 3371, but brown didn’t look right, 890 was the wrong shade of green…
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Green is so hard to match isn’t it?
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I actually like them all and no matter which is picked, when it is all finished I think it will look wonderful. From the faintest to the bold this is a beautiful project!
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Thanks, it’s coming along nicely
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I don’t mind either the double strand of blue or black. If it is a dominant feature you might want to go with the black.
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I’m still indecisive!! Maybe I’ll try a grey!
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I like the blue best, just so the border doesn’t become any more prominent than the rest of the design. It’s your call. Whatever you decide will be great.
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Thanks Avis, I know what you mean
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Love your cross-stitch. It is absolutely gorgeous!
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Thanks Karrin, it’s coming along nicely.
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Good progress! I really could not help you.I generally choose one or two darker shades of the same number/color.I use DMC. Your proposals all seem valid.Good Summer!
Carmela
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Thanks Carmela, I usually use DMC too, but this is a kit so I’m not sure which thread it is.
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A beautiful project. I think the black is a bit to heavy but what ever you decide on it will look gorgeous!
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I understand that black is traditional for the back stitch outlining. It is really giving the little nest new life. But I understand your query about black being kind of harsh. I wonder is there a very dark navy that might be quite as stark as the pure black. Anyway this is just so pretty and what lovely stitches!
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That is a lot of backstitching to do! I like all the threads, but I think the black does draw attention to itself… the green and blue blend in, but not too much. So beautiful!
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At first I thought the blue thread was the best, but after seeing the last photo, I change my mind. I´d go for the black thread! It´s all looking very good!
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Oh wow! This is so pretty! I’ve never been able to stitch on linen…. I have to use large aida fabric. hee hee I can’t wait to see more.
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On my computer I like the dark blue the best. It seems less jarring to my eye but still stands out. This is going to be beautiful whatever you decide. 🙂
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I love how the backstitching on the dragonfly wings makes the really pop out! As for the other backstitching, if you are using two threads, could you use one strand of the blue (which I wish was a twinge darker) and one of the black (which I love how stark it looks, but I know it’s not supposed to be the feature!)? Whatever you decide it will be gorgeous!
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Thanks, I’m tempted to take it along to the shop to find a darker blue or grey.
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It’s looking lovely, Margaret.
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