Melitastitches4fun's Blog

I selected the Ray stitches with French Knots from AL’s suggestions and needed a template for the corner motifs to make sure they are all the same length.

So, I made a cardboard model on magazine board and poked holes after measuring (seen on the far right in the photo). I tested making the marks with a purple pen (left), Sharpie (center), and a #4H pencil. The Sharpie ran into the fabric and will not be used. If the purple pen marks disappear, those dots are the easier to see than the pencil but I can see the pencil marks enough to darken them before stitching or press harder when making them. 

Luckily, I had stitched the Bijoux from the center out. So, it was easy to remove the outermost 4 stitches.

I didn’t have anymore of the Valdani #8 Pearl Cotton. So, I went to my stash and found Soie Perlee SPS274.

An extra piece of magazine board would have made it even stiffer but I managed to fold the fabric across the back holding in place with glue until I stitched it closed.

Here’s the finished piece in place on the 3rd side of this tissue box.