Vanessa says she's running out of wall space to show off her cross stitch finishes. A common problem, eh? Some of us move up to higher fabric counts to get tinier pieces or give everything away. Others, like Vanessa, opt for more creative, non-framed finishes.
She's made this fantastic table-topper from the
Bramble and the Rose pattern. It's stitched on Picture This Plus's Crystal Shale Belfast and fabulous silk from Hand Dyed Fibers in HDF Examplar Black Iris Bud & Bloom. The fringed edge makes this a perfect, elegant addition to the room.
Thanks for sharing your finish, Vanessa! We join in your well-earned Happy Dance... And we forgive you in advance if you become a little militaristic about where visitors set down their wine glasses.
Anne said she liked the way these different motifs fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Spot samplers like this ARE fun to stitch because things keep changing before you can get bored. This sampler is Hanky Pysanky, inspired by the Ukrainian art used to decorate eggs. She stitched up the full sampler on black 25-ct linen using a variety of silks from Needlepoint Inc and the Fiber Addict. The Fiber Addicts silk was actually marketed as a binder yarn for spinners (think of the strong core that holds mohair yarn together) but that didn't hold back Anne.
Sometimes it's the best fun just to play around with different fibers and color combinations - try new things to see what works and what you like. Stitching "smalls" is a great tool for test driving combos. These are some of the ornaments and tie-ons that Anne made using motifs and improvisation. The smaller ones can actually be worn as pendants - how clever is that!
