Melitastitches4fun's Blog

It took about 2 months to get back to finishing the other 2 Bargello ornaments from Hearts of Gold by Michele Roberts (an ANG Correspondence Course). It’s available under Distance Learning on ANG ‘s website. Michele’s are all done using only 4 gold threads so they are all color coordinated. Mine are all different colorways for seasonal display. Tedious work but I completed the finishing on them! This time I used a binding stitch.

I had pulled out my Kreinik Custom Corder. It’s loose but ok for the hanger. Since my threads were already cut, they weren’t long enough to go around the whole heart. Step 1 is to interlock the 2 threads. Step 2 is wind. Maybe I didn’t twist enough?

Step 3 is to remove from cord maker, bring both ends together, and allow them to twist together. It was tighter initially but then loosened during that process. Since even 2 lengths weren’t working, I abandoned the cord maker.

There was still a decent gap between the back and front due to a 5 mm soft foam core that I used. So, I went with a “binding” stitch and it took way longer than I am sure a professional finisher would take to do it. Bending the monocanvas back results in a less than desirable rounded shape. But, that stitch covered the gap and turned it back into a smooth heart shape. I prefer stitching over finishing but am happy with these.

The hearts look great. Does the binding stitch cover the edges of the ornament backing fabric? Do you place the backing fabric over mounting board?

Comment by brendasneedlepointstudioblog October 1, 2022 @ 7:38 am

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Yes the stitching is seen on the back going into the ultrasuede backing which I cut slightly larger than cardboard thin backing you recommended. For these last 2, I used a foam board but didn’t actually “mount” it. It just sits between the stitching and the back. When I mounted them previously, stitching the edge was even harder.

Comment by melitastitches4fun October 1, 2022 @ 8:14 am

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