Aug 6, 2009

MUFFED IT

I finished LHN's "My Needle's Work", but I screwed up the border. I knew this was going to happen, but I had convinced myself that somehow it would magically all come together in the end. It didn't.

I'm going to let it marinate for a few days before I decide what the heck to do about it. (We all know I will probably rip out the entire thing and start over, but let's just pretend that I will come to my senses before that, shall we?)
This is my oldest WIP. It's a small post-card sized needlepoint canvas by Jennifer Pudney. I purchased this little kit as a take-along on my trip to Turks and Caicos, and I stitched all of those flowers during the harrowing flight over the ocean to Provo Island. ("Are those SHARKS down there, Aunt Chrissy?! Where's my cocktail!? Did I remember to leave a copy of my will on the dining room table so that when I am no longer, Stewey will have a nice safe clean comfortable home to live in?! (And yes, I did write a will, and yes, instructions for Stewey were included in said will, and yes, I set up a little trust fund for his up-keep.) "Oh my God! Is that the pilot going into the bathroom!? Who's flying the plane?!"). And so on.

Once we got to T&C, I was more worried about the ToyoPet vehicle that we sported around in (yup, it was smaller than my suitcase and had the steering wheel on the wrong side), and whether or not flying cockroaches would get me in my sleep than I was about finishing this, so it went into the WIP pile and stayed there.

What can I say? I'm a little high maintenance.

So methinks it is next on the QUEST TO FINISH EVERYTHING THAT I'VE STARTED BEFORE NOVEMBER 1ST. My only problem is what to do with that background? I know it should be done in tent/continental/basketweave stitches, but I'm thinking that I should maybe only use one ply of the thread so that the flowers stand out a bit. Either that, or I suppose I could fish around in my stash and find something with a little sparkle to it and make this a funky little piece to put into a small purse front. (Did I just say sparkly?! Me?! Wow, I must be coming out of my "Oh, no sparkles for me, thank you" shell a bit. Woo Hoo!)

A migraine is knocking at the back door of my skull at the moment, so I'm going to go grab some Excedrin and a diet Coke before it decides to send me back to the sleigh bed today. (Is that a Breakfast of Champions, or what!)

Happy Thursaday, everybody!

(Oh, tee he! I just realized that I said "Thursaday" instead of Thursday. Am I channeling Lawrence Welk, or what?)

16 comments:

  1. Coni it's very pretty so leave the border as is. Gives it a little prim look! Sometimes a piece ends up with touches that make it uniquely your own.

    And what does Stewey think? Bet he'd agree.

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  2. I don't see anything at all wrong with your border - cute finish!

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  3. Sew ribbon on top of the border instead of ripping it out. Trust me, you can hide lots with ribbons.

    As for the Jennifer Pudney background, do tent stitches on every other intersection and put beads on the skipped areas, using 2 plies of your background floss. (I am assuming you are using the floss that came with the kit.)

    Or if you don't have any beads, do a Cross Stitch instead of a bead for a sort of Dotted Swiss effect. You can use a slightly lighter or darker shade of the background color, a metallic thread, or just the same thread to give the background texture.

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  4. Forgot to say I hope the migraine goes away el quicko!

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  5. Congrats on the finish, it really is pretty. If you need to restitch, then maybe just the top side of the border. I love this NP kit the background could be fun sparkly but only if you are making an evening purse, LOL. Yuck flying cockroaches. CJ ok;-)

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  6. Well, I think maybe I might just a wee little bit see where the border is muffed but I would never have noticed it if I hadn't looked for it. I say leave it; it's a beautiful finish and besides, it's not a mistake, it's your own interpretation of the design!

    Hope the migraine goes away quickly.

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  7. OK, so the border didn't come out EXACTLY the way it should...so what?? It still looks great and why obsess over it?? Leave it :)

    BTW, I hate flying, too :(

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  8. Someone once told me that only God is perfect. So leave the error there to show that you are only human. Of course if you want to keep your Goddessness than you will have to locate the error and fix it. :) (Only kidding.)

    I love the needlepoint piece. it would make a fabulous purse front. Go for the sparkly.

    I hope your migraine has eased. Excedrin migraine with the aspiin and caffeine is a must have in my book. I too suffer from them so I understand. Hope you feel better.

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  9. Channeling Lawrence Welk....LOL! :)))))))

    I don't even know what I was going to say I'm laughing so hard about LW...

    Anyway, ahhh....oh yes, the LHN...I can't see where you screwed up so leave it...who'll know....

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  10. I'm a perfectionist too and I can't even find the problem with your border! I think you should leave it; it is cute as is! I'm a fellow Hoosier who loves reading your blog.

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  11. Coni, leave that border be! I can't see the error, whatever it is, and my Nanny, who was the genius needleworker of all time, said, "all your work has to have a mistake, otherwise they think it's fake." You need to either say it in Italian or with a strong Italian accent in English. And with a large amount of scorn emphasizing the "they."

    So leave it be, love! That way, you will always remember our supportive comments! Denise

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  12. Coni, if you hadn't said anything about the border, I don't think that anyone would notice. Our errors always jump out at us, even after we have corrected them, but generally not seen by anyone else.

    You can take the stance of those Persian rug weaves, who always make an error in their weavings, believing that nothing made by human hands should be perfect!

    I'll be that this increasing humidity is playing havoc with your poor head. This weekend is supposed to be miserable, so stock up on your cold drinks, ice cubes and popscicles. .anything to keep you feeling cool from the inside out, and don't go out unless you absolutely have to!

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  13. Here's my theory on mistakes -- they make the design "uniquely" yours! I'd leave it. Honestly, it took me a long time to figure out what you did wrong!

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  14. Love the finish! I say leave the border it. Hope the migrane is gone there killers for stitching time.

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  15. I had to search hard for the border error as well. If you really must fix it, take out just that top section and adjust it rather than redoing the whole danged thing.

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  16. Like Caroline, I see absolutely nothing wrong with the border. Is it just us?

    Because of you, I'm gonna think of Lawrence Welk all day. Thanks loads.

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