Melitastitches4fun's Blog

I finished the ornament Love, 5th in the series from the Cabochons Series by Susan Portra.

This time, I did it differently. I used a running stitch and cinched it around the magazine board. With the rest of the thread used as lacing to keep it snug.

I added some Craftex as padding. Then, I glued it to the back of the front in a few spots with “Super NEW GLUE” by Euro Tool, Inc. that I picked up at Blue Santa Bead. It’s a small bottle and easy to control. It dries fast and firm.

I had enough of the DMC #5 Pearl 350 and Tiara T115 to use 4 strands of each to make the cording. I stitched the cording to the Craftex before gluing the cording into place while pinching the 2 sides together. I went back and stitched the cording in a few places to be safe.

Goal #21 stitched and finished! I decided to finish these when I take them off the stretcher bars so they don’t get jostled or the stitching skews once removed. Plus, finishing all ornaments together sounds like a worse option.

The backgrounds from Love, 5th in the series from the Cabochons Series by Susan Portra, were fun. Once I got to this point, I just had to finish!

I did change the upper left stitch from vertical rows of French Knots to Basque Knots from Elegant Stitches by Judith Baker Montano. I’ve been intrigued by that stitch since seeing it in the book but never had a place to use it until now. Getting the tension consistent is key. The 4 strands of floss were recommended for French Knots, but I didn’t like the 4 strands of floss for the Basque Knot. It lacked definition (left 2 columns). And, the color was too dark to see the knot. So, I switched to the perle used elsewhere in the piece and am much happier (right 2 columns). I practiced it and was finally getting it. The 2 columns on the left side show them further apart on the left and closer on the right. The 2 columns on the right are both further apart, which I do like better..

The backgrounds are done.

That left the beads and cabochons to add. I managed to break a bugle bead to squeeze it onto the bottom right row of them. It is still a tad long, but leaving it empty was glaring. Several of the rimsets are bent, and one bead package was missing them entirely. So, I’ve ordered more. Placing the prongs into holes is key to getting the top of the rims close enough to the canvas so that the cabochons aren’t loose.

Goal #21 is completely stitched with beads and cabochons applied.

I’ve already got Joy, the first in the Cabochon series, fully kitted and ready to go onto the bars. Perhaps I am excited about doing these because they are easier than other pending projects! Do you find yourself putting off the tough pieces in favor of easier ones?