Someone on one of the cross stitch FB pages had commented that she had stitched this sampler. She said she did hers in long stitch because she read Mexican samplers were generally stitched in long stitch.
I decided to go back and look at the many pages included with the chart, and sure enough it talks about it being stitched with long stitch. Perhaps I should have read the directions better! But by then I was too far into the sampler to rip out my previous stitching and start all over. Plus I pulled out my handy dandy stitch encyclopedia and took a gander at the illustrations fit long stitch. Made my head just explode even contemplating how you would go about fitting it in doing long stitch when it was charted for regular cross stitch.
Some charts are just better than others and I'd rate this more on a basic chart! No shaded overlap, in fact there is no overlap from one page to another. The darker graph lines doesn't show up well, so I had to use magic marker to high light those. There are parts that I think you might have to do some back stitching but even then not so sure because the directions doesn't mention any. Plus the picture isn't so great on the front that you could even get a hint if your suppositions are correct. Ahhh the joys of cross stitch!
I managed to wrap and mail the baby blankets and scarves this week. It's funny that someone posted on FB that some people think if you give someone a handmade gift, that some people think you're being cheap. Having made my fair share of gifts over the year, nothing I have ever given, would I consider as being cheap. Anything I knitted the yarn hadn't been all that cheap not including my time. It would have been cheaper for me to go to Babies R Us and purchase a blanket or gift card.
Then there is the cross stitch, materials, my time and I always have them professional framed. Nothing cheap there. Heck just to mail the scarves and blankets was almost $30. I hope no one ever says that to me! Cuz I'd give them a piece of my mind that I don't really have to spare.
I completed Christmas shopping for my daughter, happy bout that. Still have my youngest son, my mother, and my husband to shop for. But it's still November!!!
Well that's all for all this week happy, relaxing enjoyable stitching.
You are moving along well on this piece, Pam. My favorite part at the moment is the 2 pairs of birds with the carnation between them. I think they would make a sweet bowl filler. People have no idea about the costs behind a handcrafted item. They definitely don't fall in the cheap category.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your week!
PS Good going getting the shopping taken care of for your daughter! Go Pam!
Another beautiful sampler! And there is certainly nothing cheap about the materials that go into a handmade item not to mention the time you put into it. I don't receive many handmade gifts, but treasure the ones I do get.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to do stuff for myself, but will do a gift for a family member. The baby blankets were for my niece, and the scarves were for her much younger sister, who I didn't want to feel left out. I just finished tropical Quaker sampler for my step daughter, and have done pieces for my oldest son and daughter. I even did a piece for my sister, plus another piece for my sister in law. I still need to find something for my youngest son.
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