I also had a harebrained idea to needlepoint this on canvas with silk from my stash. I think it's all full cross stitches, which means it would translate to simple tent stitches pretty easily, no?
The investment in the actual chart would be less than $25, which I have saved in my pin money account, but I don't want to foolishly spend on a base fabric that might not be perfectly swell.
Any advice, oh wise and patient ones?
Wow!
ReplyDeleteWhile cross-stitch to needlepoint is a straightforward conversion if there are no fractional stitches, I wonder whether this one would be suitable. The little tree things on the left and right of the upper section, the many curves of the birds' necks and bellies, the checkerboard tails in the lower section, the cardinals' crowns -- I don't think all of these would translate well into tent stitch.
But I am nowhere near the expert stitcher you are. Or many other readers.
I would think a plain neutral would work as your fabric base since the majority of your fabric wouldn't be showing except in the middle three sections. Perhaps an antique white or ivory. Cross stitch to needlepoint might be interesting. Could you get to a shop and view the chart?
ReplyDeleteI would use Permin linen in Lambswool (I can't remember what it's called in the US)
ReplyDeleteI think it would work fine as a needlepoint piece. If you use 18-ct canvas, it will look finer. That said, I haven't looked to see the dimensions of the piece. It might mean a huge piece of canvas and working it on roller bars. The ones one uses for cross stitch might not be sturdy enough for canvas. I don't know. I'll take a look and see if I think there would be a problem doing it on canvas. And eggshell or sandstone canvas would be a nice ground and not as costly as linen.
ReplyDeleteOkay, that would translate to approximately 11" x 16" for the design size on 18-ct canvas. Add the extra canvas for comfortable stitching and you come to around 16" x 21". If you do it on stretcher bars, then you'd need to make the canvas 20" (just 4" extra on the length) because they only come in even lengths after this. I have a cross-stitch piece that I decided to do on Congress cloth a while back. I've got the CC and all the threads, but I have yet to do it. Not unusual.
ReplyDeleteIf you switch to canvas, still do the full cross stitch. As others mentioned, it will be a lot larger. You also need to "thicken" your threads so every little detail can be seen. You also have less color options in canvas. Pull your threads and start laying them on fabrics already in your stash, talk to your ANG and EGA friends and see if anyone else has done it and what they used. Rarely does Long Dog do color. I'm currently working on "Descending Order" by Long DOg. Have fun with it.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be best if you cross stitch it. Do what I always do when selecting fabric for a new piece. Pull all the thread colors and lay them out on a piece of chosen fabric. This will tell you right away what will work and what won't as far as the fabric is concerned. Look for colors which are too close to that of the fabric and either pick another fabric or change some of the thread colors. I prefer to just switch fabrics .
ReplyDeleteI would stick with cross-stitch and like mentioned above, a neutal color since a lot of design is coverage rich. You will make the right decision!
ReplyDeleteJules uses back-stitching in many of her pieces. You can't tell in the pictures, but it is frequently there. Personally I think you would be fine with a 28 count fabric for cross-stitching. Any neutral color as it will show through where all the white is in the picture.
ReplyDeleteJules uses 16 or 18 count Aida for some of her pieces. On 28 count over 1, this would be about 7 by 10 inches, perhaps a little small to show off the colors and details.
ReplyDeleteI like an 18 count Aida if it's full stitches, or a 22-count Hardanger cloth. I would choose a daerker than ecru fabric for it - tan or beige, or perhaps a light grey. Agree with the suggestion to lay the main colors of floss on fabrics and see what looks best.
Last thought. I would not do this as needlepoint due to the curves and symmetrical shapes throughout, which might not look identical in tent stitch. Just my 2 cents.
Love the vintage feel of it. Almost like a Singer sewing machine decal design! Looking at the autumnal colours, maybe a similar creamy beige colour for the background - like a fallen leaf base that has many layers above with brighter colours in the floss? This is the quilter in me! LOL! xx
ReplyDeleteDo it! I have no needlepoint experience, but in knitting I know that it's sometimes fun to experiment! Just keep notes as you go, & tuck them in with the project when you're done playing with it.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest lie I tell myself is "I don't have to write that down, I'll remember what I did"
An antique ivory would be soft, but still a definitive contrast base to the "worked" colors. Have you considered 28 Lugano? For work of this intensity and depth, an investment
ReplyDeleteor unearthing of some substantial linen would be a good cross
stitch base. Would wool/canvas not be too heavy for such detail...? Perhaps using wool in broad areas, matching color in silk to do the more delicate turns....Whatever, this will be an ambitious and monumental achievement, Coni, and if anyone can, you can, Ms Marvel...
Any cross stitch piece with full stitches can be easily done on canvas using 4 ply floss or silk on 18 count canvas. Yes, tent or half cross is what you would use. Stitch your chart using basketweave to keep it square on the canvas.
ReplyDeleteI do so hope you were able to find something suitable. Long Dogs are fabulous and I would love to follow along as you stitch one!
ReplyDelete