OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern by Papillon Creations, bottom section self-charted
• Materials: 25 ct antique smoky white lugana, Gloriana silk floss “crimson” (2 skeins), pumpkin, and copper (1 skein each)
• Size: 10.4″ x 21.4″ (stitched 1 over 1)
• Time to stitch: 5.5 weeks over 10 months

My BAP is finished!  I am so excited, finishing this gave me a feeling a pure happiness and emotional high.

This project was not difficult to stitch, just simple cross stitching really.  It did take some time, as the stitch count is huge.  In the end, when I was figuring out the personalized section, there was a lot of stitch & frog. but I eventually prevailed. The chart is fine, easy to read, 12 pages long.  I’m glad I stitched it on 25 count over 1 because otherwise it would be huge! 

Stitching 1 over 1 on the 25 count lugana was easy enough; I didn’t need any magnification, though the stitches did get little tight in full coverage areas.  The lugana is nice and soft, with good body, and has a subtle hand dyed effect, only one one side (I guess it’s printed).  The old paper look is what I was hoping for, and I’m pleased with how it turned out.

This is the second time I’ve used Gloriana silk floss in a project, it’s a nice silk thread though rather pricy.  I especially love the deep saturated colors which sing with the silk’s luminescence.   Waterlilies are my favorite, but the LNS had a nice selection of Gloriana when I was kitting up the project.  I initially bought crimson and pumpkin (the gold).  I didn’t like how the pumpkin looked in the text (too light).  So I bought a few more colors, tested, and settled on “copper”.  Then I wanted a highly variegated thread for the big capital L.  I looked, and looked, but did not find it.  Probably only asking Gloriana to do a custom dye would have suited my color sensibility- everything I tried either clashed or looked muddy against the main color (crimson).  So I did the big L in crimson with some detail in copper.

All the tiny details on this piece are fabulous.  Overall, it’s very meaningful.  The verse was the first reading at our wedding.  The colors were our wedding colors.  The bottom section is highly personalized.  The rose band and the hearts with calla lilies – roses and callas were the stars of my bouquet.  The candles are a reminder of our candlelit ceremony.  Cupids- why not?  From classical mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, love, attraction, and affection.  I’m really proud of this project and find it a fitting tribute to our marriage, as we prepare to celebrate our 11th anniversary.