My favorite was the "Jardin d'Oiseaux", i.e. "Garden of Birds". So I got to work stitching it up on 36ct Edinburgh Summer Khaki linen. As I stitched, I kept thinking about how I would construct the sheath, and I came up with several different ways in my mind's eye. My mind's eye only sees what it wants to and seems to miss the tricky parts. Besides having to go to 6 stores before I found 6" rulers.. who knew that this was another almost obsolete item?..., this turned out to be a bear to stitch up. I almost ruined it with too much taking it apart and re-trying. I'm not really happy with the result, but the at least the ruler fits nice and I kind of like the wraparound alphabet. But I'll look for some other way to construct these in the future. I don't plan to give up!
The second disappointment was in the category of "I should have known better". I had a T-shirt that, once again, had a blueberry yogurt stain right in the center. I figured I'd stitch a quick little motif over it to salvage the shirt. I picked the little girl hare from Plum Street Hare's Easter.
I knew that designs with stems and parts that are only one or two stitches thick just never turn out right on T-shirts. But I had forgotten that rule. The shirt is wearable, but the stitches are so wild, it's a nightmare. Best to wear in the presence of near-sighted people who aren't wearing their glasses and are standing far way.
Hope my next post has a finish I'm happier with.
I think your finishes are lovely! I especially love the ruler.
ReplyDeleteI, too, know the struggle and disappointment with a finish. I am in the midst of a project right now that I have to decide what to do with.
PS: Thank you for the links for the freebies. Love the bird one! :)
Sorry to hear that you had so much trouble. For what it's worth, I think the ruler holder looks great.
ReplyDeleteWell good for you and your perseverance. I too have held off on her sweet alphabets. I don't know what I want to do with them.
ReplyDeleteSorry you were disappointed in your finishes. I think they are both great myself. I'm sure it helps that we can't look closely at the problem stitches on the T, but still. I bet they aren't as bad as you think.
ReplyDeleteI don't really see anything wrong with the ruler cover, I think it looks fabulous! And I can't see the picture well enough of the bunny on your shirt so I guess I will have to take your word for it. However, it probably looks quite charming even if it's not perfect!
ReplyDeleteYour ruler cover is very nice !! :)
ReplyDeleteI know how we design or plan sometimes doesn't turn out the same way when done practically. But trial and error is what makes us create more innovative designs :)
Both finishes do look really nice!! What fab designs.
ReplyDeleteThey say "Practice makes Perfect"!!
What a clever idea! I love those alphabets but had never thought of using them like this.
ReplyDeleteHow fun waht you made!
ReplyDeleteYour have such great ideas!!
Beautifull done
How fun waht you made!
ReplyDeleteYour have such great ideas!!
Beautifull done
You always come up with the neatest ways to use your stitching, Annie! I don't see what is wrong? They look great to me! Glad you could still find the 6 inch rulers. I have a bright pink one that I love and keep in my stitching bag for when I travel. Imagine my despair when I lost it--BUT, guess what. Last time when I was at my mom's, I discovered it hiding underneath her sofa cushions :)
ReplyDeleteI have only stitched on clothing once and didn't enjoy it so I can imagine your frustration. It would certainly look fine to me without my glasses, since I can only see clearly about six inches in front of me. Still--the hare is darling with the giant flower.
Both looks lovely!
ReplyDeleteGreat job!!
The finishes are great. I really like the shirt.
ReplyDeleteThis ruler sheath is a great idea and I think it turned out great. Kids would love these....what a super idea! Like you, I've had some cross stitching frustrations lately as well. I've ripped out and re-stitched a border so many times that I'm ready to throw the whole thing out!
ReplyDeleteLove the ruler sheaths. It looks fabulous, even if you weren't happy with it
ReplyDeleteAnnie, these look fine and have turned out really pretty and useful. I have a half finished ruler sheath in my UFO drawer and think it will stay there. I don´t like working on T shirts either but yours looks fine from here :-)
ReplyDeleteI think you are too hard to yourself. I love the ruler sheath, it's a fabulous idea. And to me it looks great. As I have never stitched anything on clothes I don't know what it should look like, but I think your T shirt is looking just fine.
ReplyDeleteI also like the ruler sheath - your work always looks great to me! I have a calligraphy ruler that length, never thought of making a cover for it.
ReplyDeleteAs for covering unwanted marks on tee shirts, I did a similar thing on a fleece top that I had for years. It had a logo printed on it, of an organisation that I used to belong to, so I covered it over with a patchwork elephant. Still get a lot of wear out of that sweatshirt!
"presence of near-sighted people who aren't wearing their glasses" hahahahah you make me laugh :D
ReplyDeleteThat's not true, both your creations look lovely! :)