Melitastitches4fun's Blog

The corners of Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham by Gay Ann Rogers, were tricky. I couldn’t get the rhythm of the stitch on the first one during my ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter members Saturday Stitch-in yesterday. But, the second corner went better despite having one eye on a bad 50s female Dracula movie on TV. Even though I finally had the rhythm, I’ve put it away until next month’s Stitch-in. Hopefully, my mind’s muscles will remember the pattern. It’s a perfect size piece for traveling.

I had seen the Halo Bolt battery charger as a fundraiser for the Pacific Southwest Region of EGA. Very powerful at 440 Wh. It can jump start cars! But, at 3 lbs plus accessories, it was too heavy for my needs.

I mostly want to plug in my 2 prong light which has a clamp for Stitch-ins and classes. My rechargeable light just isn’t bright enough. So, I went with the SinKeu Portable Power Station Model HP5005 I found on Amazon. It’s only 88.8 Wh but will support the light for a full class day. There are 2 USB ports too. And, one of my chapter members plugged her rechargeable light into the unit when her light died. My Surface Pro drains the charger much quicker. But, I haven’t really tested it fully.

My charger is 6.75″ length x 3.75″ Depth x 1.75″ Height and weighs about 1 lb plus accessories. It displays the % of remaining power. So, the 2 units are about the same size and price but weight and power are different. So far, I am happy with the unit I selected.

The fillings of the leaves and pods were fun and easy to stitch. The border was done in no time. I turned the page and there wasn’t any more to stitch!

Gay Ann was inspired by this photo of Cora. She really nailed the colors (just very dark gray-brown, medium brown, ecru, and cream). And, look carefully at Cora’s right arm to see how the design matches!

I felt like this should have been a step in and of itself in Cora’s design by Gay Ann Rogers.

There was lots of counting that I did 99% correctly the first time. Perhaps the lesson I learned is that correct stitching can be done by focusing on the work rather than trying to stitch and watch TV.

It’s all cross stitches, double-running, and backstitching reminding me that counted cross stitch patterns are not easy just because they are all x stitches. I have several cross stitch designs in my to do pile that would be challenging.

The Countess of Grantham, Cora, was actually the first in the series of her Downton Abbey inspired pieces.

Cora is an American and the only one who has just white, black, and a touch of brown. Looking back at various outfits she wore during the series, she didn’t wear as many colored outfits as the daughters.

The center motif, Step 1, is completed. The double-running stitches in black Kreinik for the petals and outer border remind me of black work. It really keeps the thread hidden underneath. And, I used long lengths moving out from the center in opposite directions. I find that very helpful in open areas. It was easy to follow the path because I did it with the TV off!