Melitastitches4fun's Blog

All framed and ready to hang. I need more walls!

This is from the online class with Orna Willis, Come Design With Me where she explained how she designs a piece as she goes. Orna set up a private Facebook group where we could ask questions and share our progress. It was interesting to watch this design develop and have her explain her thought process. At the end, class members named the design, Come Dance With Me. The instructions are on sale at her website Adorn By Orna. Use your stash to make your own colorway.

Thanks again Orna for taking us on that journey. It was an excellent learning experience.

This came to be named Come Dance With Me by the members of the class because of all the wonderful colors. Orna explained her process as follows, “I work with colors like a dance. I take two steps in one direction and then at least one step in the other.  I like to start with strong colors and after I’ve worked with them I counter it with calming colors.”

In mine, there are a couple of unintentional differences because I counted wrong but I actually prefer less movement in the scalloped border. And, there are a couple intended differences including using only 2 threads of DMC floss 4124 for the orange French Knots so that the overlayed Bijoux would lay flatter (thanks to Linda’s suggestion – it’s always good to talk concerns over with her) and one French Knot for each middle area on the outermost border because two seemed too scrunched.  I’m very happy with what I learned from Orna Willis through her thought process, the amazing threads, and stitching the design. Thanks Orna. All done and ready for her next design class!

This is a remote class mainly to follow how Orna designs a piece. And, it’s been interesting because she explains her thoughts as she goes along by sharing success as well as sections unstitched. As with many of Orna’s designs, there are amazing colors being incorporated. We got a kit of threads in the mail, lessons via email, and follow conversations via Facebook. I’m picking up a variety of wonderful tidbits including her preference for brown canvas because it fades away as you stitch better than white, eggshell, or sandstone. This is most of Lessons 1-3 completed (missing some French knots).