Tuesday, October 8, 2013

A Horrible Thing Happened On My Way to the End of Stitching an Ornament

As most of you know, I have been busily stitching ornaments from back issues as well as this year's Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments magazine.  Since last month I have stitched 7 ornaments & have attempted 2 which nearly put me in the loony bin, both of them having been designed by, well, never mind   : )   Seems like 7 ornaments are a lot to stitch in this period of time, but I've counted them & recounted them.  There are indeed 7.  I still have 17 ornaments kitted.  Will I succeed in stitching them all in time for the holidays?  We shall see   : )

I will now share with you the story of the horrible thing referred to in my post title.

The Design:  Redbirds Rejoice
The Designer:  Blue Ribbon Designs
The Magazine:  JCSCO 2013 

Before I tell my tale, let me say what an absolute delight it was to stitch this ornament!  A cross stitched ornament filled with cross stitches!  God bless Blue Ribbon Designs   : )   Anyway, this ornament is stitched 1 over 2 on 40 ct linen.  I never noticed before I began stitching that the words Joy, Hope, & Love are stitched 1 over 1.  No matter though ... they are cross stitches.  Hallelujah!  Amen!
  
Stitching 1 over 1 on 40 ct linen isn't a big deal unless you make an error & have to pick it out.  I was about 75-80% finished stitching this ornament when I did indeed make an error, & my greatest cross stitching fear happened.
Please don't freak out at the ornament colors as they appear in this photo.  I was, needless to say, quite frustrated when I photographed it which happened to be on a very dark & rainy afternoon.  I couldn't have cared less about coloring ... all I cared about was getting a picture of that hole down on the bottom right side.  It was in my mind to send this photo to someone who might be able to either help me repair the hole or otherwise talk me down off the ledge, so to speak.  To whom did I send the photo? I sent it to my good friend Marly at Samplers & Santas   : )

Marly has a reputation for being a rebel  : ) She has described her unconventional approach to cross stitching on her own blog many times.  Off the top of my head I believe she has, among other things, dyed her linen after having stitched a design, eaten a variety of culinary delights while stitching, & thrown her stitching into her clothes dryer. It was Marly who taught me that it's okay to make knots with your threads on the back of your work rather than weave your starting & ending threads underneath other stitches. I thought surely she had encountered a hole in her linen at some time in her stitching life & surely she would know how to fix it, & she did : )   She told me to simply pull the ends of the broken thread out a bit & to the back of the piece on each side of the hole, then pull a thread from the edge of the fabric & weave it in.  Worked like a charm   : )
I am now stitching another ornament but I can't tell you anything about this one as it's for an exchange.  You will have to wait to see it after the exchange is completed   : ) 

Tomorrow I am heading to Lexington for my one month followup appointment after my heart surgery.  I don't anticipate any bad news.  I actually wish I could just cancel the appointment but I have to follow through.  

Our house continues to be on the market but our contract will end on November 1st.  I received an email from our real estate agent a few moments ago.  He said someone might want to come see it on the 18th.  It will depend on how long a morning meeting will last & how long an afternoon wedding will last.  I'm keeping good thoughts   : )

Be blessed my friends!

25 comments:

cl said...

I just finished stitching Snow Angel and hope my LNS has ordered the shaker box I requested. LOVE the designs coming out of this new designer!!!

Krista said...

Awesome finish, Shirlee! What a great save. It is enough of a pain to pick out over two but over one?! I could not imagine.

Vickie said...

Oh my! I am so very glad I have NOT had to deal with this problem yet. Funny thing is that when I began reading this post, I was thinking Marly would know what to do! HOORAY for Marly! Good for you Shirlee. Glad that problem is solved. Have a great night!

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

This is one of the ornies I love from this issue, and Belinda is such a lovely person too. I had some email correspondence with her about the Woodsy Winter series (I wondered how many there were in the series) and she was most helpful and very pleased to see my photo.

Glad Marly was able to help a damsel in distress too.

cucki said...

Beautiful finish dear..I love it.
Glad that problem is solved..
Hugs x

Stitchy Mc Floss said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Pam in IL said...

Beautiful finish! Of course Marly would know what to do, lol! Though I've never personally done it, I've heard about weaving a new thread in.

Praying that your follow up goes well.

Beth said...

Bloggers are the best. There is always someone who can help.

Myra said...

Beautiful finish Shirlee. I am glad Marly was able to help you out. I will have to remember this trick in case I need it in the future.

BRD Girl said...

I am so thrilled you decided to stitch my ornament - and it looks WONDERFUL!...and your teeny tiny cross stitches over-one look flawless. :-) I am glad you took the good advice given and were able to make the repair - you would never know it was there...thank you for your perseverance and for sharing your beautiful finish!

Jackie's Stitches said...

What a clever tip from Marly! I have to say that I would have never thought of that!

Kaisievic said...

Great job, Shirlee and Marly. Good luck for your check up.

marly said...

So glad it worked out! Such a nice design. Good luck on the doc follow up.

Robin in Virginia said...

Way to go, Shirlee! Your ornament turned out great! This one is on my list to stitch hopefully before 2013 ends.

Robin in Virginia

PS Good luck to you as you journey to Lexington for your follow up check!

CalamityJr said...

Congratulations on such a successful repair. Umm, wait... what hole?

Prayers being said and fingers crossed :) for tomorrow's doctor visit. I'm sure you'll get a good report!

Wish we could get the potential home buyers there this week and get you moved (closer to me, please).

Annette-California said...

What a great tip from Marley and you! I love your ornament! I hope you hear good news from your check-up.
love Annette

Mouse said...

ooo well done ... you usually can repair most things with weaving back in.. its a bit like doing drawn thread work :)
this one is on my to do list too :)
good luck with the appointment and also paws crossed for the viewing too :) love mouse xxxxx

Mii Stitch said...

I would have panicked & probably left my stitching... but thanks to Marly you have a lovely finish! Well done & good luck with doctor appointment & house sale x

butterfly said...

Your ornament now looks just wonderful so happy you found a way to get rid of the hole , stitching friends are the best , hugs.

Trace4J said...

You go girl.
What beautiful stitches.
Praying all goes well for you today.
Giant hugs and lots of Love!

gracie said...

Good job with the repair. I have repaired linen that way on more than one occasion. Once the stitching is done, you never see the repair. Love the ornament.

Carol said...

What great advice from Marly--I'll have to remember that if I ever find myself with a hole in my stitching project. Your ornament turned out beautifully, Shirlee--I was thinking of stitching that one, too!

Sally said...

I'm so glad you managed to save this gorgeous ornament. Way to go Marly for the great advice.

Your finish is so pretty Shirlee. I have my eye on this one now I've finally got my magazine :)

Hoping your follow up goes well. Thinking of you my friend.

The Inspired Stitcher said...

Just getting caught up on blog reading today. I'm going to have to remember this trick! I'm sure at some point I'll do this very same thing. LOL! Hugs

Simply Victoria said...

This turned out so pretty. Hooray for Marly and the hole being fixed!