From Start to Finish: Refining the Choices

It would be a rare design indeed that required no changes from initial concept to finished model. Every designer must make changes as the stitching occurs, from the thread choices to stitches to color, sometimes even entire concepts. Here’s a small sample of the refining that takes place.

In Diamond Delight 10, every stitching area has a unique border, and one of the borders I’ve chosen is a lattice cross. I like this stitch because it’s relatively flat, stitches up pretty fast, but has some visual interest. Here’s the diagram:

It begins with a cross stitch, shown in blue. Then the stitches in yellow are made across the top left, the stitches in green across the top right, the stitches in red across the bottom right, and finally the stitches in purple across the bottom left.

I sorted through the many threads I had pulled for the design, and initially thought I’d stitch this border using 1 strand of the Watercolours. But I had taken only a few of the stitches in the lattice cross when I realized that even 1 strand would be far too heavy for this border stitch. It would stand up too much, the crossing stitches would be completely lost, and the stitch would look like a blob rather than a defined stitch. In this extreme closeup photo it doesn’t look too bad, but a whole border wouldn’t do.

So I went into the cotton flosses I had pulled, and tried stitching with a single strand. Oops – it kind of disappeared on the canvas. If I had a very dark canvas, and a very light or very bright floss, it would be perfect, like a bright neon color on black canvas. But this very light blue on white canvas, um, no.

Maybe 2 strands of floss. I stitched the lattice cross with 2 strands, and I liked that better. So I’ll do the border with 2 strands. It means laying the stitch, which means more work. But I’ll be more pleased with it.

So far so good. Several decisions made to this point, as far as thread weight, color and texture. The first two diamonds in a square are completed; can you see them? On to the next diamond in a square!