Adagio – Lesson 1

DOUBLE CROSSES

Find the approximate center of the canvas. It isn’t necessary to find the exact center; you have 3” of margin on each side the project, so if you begin a little off center it will still leave you plenty of canvas for finishing. Place a needle in the approximate center to use for reference, or you can slightly
enlarge the hole by taking your needle and “wallowing” it around. This will be covered by the stitches in the project and won’t show later.

From the center mark count up 20 canvas threads. This is position one of the double cross on page 1 of the instructions. Work with about 36” of the Watercolours, a single strand. You can use an away knot, or a pin stitch placed under the center of the first stitch in the shape of a “T”.
Refer to page 1 of the instructions for the double cross. There are 12 double crosses on each side of the diamond shape. You will need to start and stop a couple of times to stitch the entire area. Count carefully and make sure this area is correct before proceeding because it will be easier.
End off by weaving through the stitches on the back, or making a pin stitch in the area outside the diamond shape where it will be covered by either the sprat’s heads or the pavilion diamonds.

KITTY’S DOUBLE FAN DOUBLED

Now tackle the kitty’s double fan doubled. There’s a video which you can watch as many times as needed for stitching this motif. If you want you can start and stop the video as you stitch so you can take it step by step. The entire kitty’s double fan doubled is shown in the video.
Begin by anchoring with pin stitches close to the center. I anchor all the threads at once. After anchoring the threads, place the large needle in the center to secure the center and control the tension of the first stitches. After establishing the kitty’s double fan doubled, you can remove the needle.

If you don’t have a large needle to use, you can use a counting pin or a toothpick, anything that will stay in the canvas as you stitch. Take care not to catch the needle below the canvas as you stitch. I remove the needle as soon as I can to prevent catching it. Usually after the first weaving of
the two double fans together, you can remove the needle. The instructions are very explicit and won’t be repeated here.

Remember that you can view the video as many times as needed while stitching. If you have any questions about this lesson, be sure to ask! Debbie@DebBeesDesigns.com, or post in the classroom. The diagrams for this section are posted in the files for your convenience if you
need to enlarge them as you stitch.