I’ve been quite productive over the last three weeks with my embroidered garden book, I think now I’m nearing the end I just want to wrap it up. I’ve been stitching what I call filler pages, not a huge amount of embroidery on them, but will hopefully help the book to flow.

Three weeks ago I was stitching the map of the garden…

I added numbers to the key features, cut it out and stitched it to a plain background with a compass point in the corner.

I then obviously needed a key, I decided the easiest and clearest way would be on evenweave linen. I used the alphabet that is in the Strawberry Sampler book I’m also stitching at the moment. It’s the smallest counted thread alphabet I know and to say it’s based on just two cross-stitch squares per lower case letter, I think it’s a really pretty alphabet.

Even with such a small alphabet, I only just fitted it on the linen. I was originally planning to add trims such as lace to the page but it all looked too much and with the green leafy background, I think it’s enough.

I then decided it would be good to do a ‘title’ page for each of the big garden embroideries, they’re so busy that I thought having one of the crazy patchwork ones opposite them might detract somewhat. I could also use up a couple of mini embroideries I had done earlier.

The first one was the patio area…

I decided to use the same green evenweave and font, to give a bit of continuity. I used a technique I saw in a book by Tilly Rose, she does lovely vintage style stitchings. She made a hexagonal patchwork piece by folding the backing fabric over to the front to make a mock binding. I stitched the lettering first, worked out a hexagon size and then made another using an embroidery by Sookie Soo. A third one is just a pretty quilting cotton. I continued the shapes with a running stitch to complete the page. I also made a new name for the bed that is just full of potted plants of various sizes…the pottery!

I am currently stitching the summerhouse area facing page…

I’m using up all the mini hexagons I had left from the Owl and Hare Hollow quilt, I ummed and arred over how to arrange them, flowers, border round the words, hexagon… in the end I’ve gone for a block, sort of like a flower bed. I’ve the last three to stitch on, then I just need to decide on background. I’m dithering between a beige with ditsy flowers on or an ivory with ivory flowers…

I had a good lightbulb moment last night when I realised I didn’t need to remove all the backing papers from the hexagons (not my favourite job!) as they’re going to be on a stiffened page anyway!

Just one more facing page to do for the Amber and Amethyst garden and then maybe a title page for the book…I’ll see how the page layouts work out. I’m nearly there!

This SAL is organised by Avis from Stitching by the Sea, please follow the links to see what everyone else is stitching.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Jackie, 

Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, Cathie, 

Linda, Helen, MaryMargaret, Cindy