OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern: by DMC, Cross Stitch Collection Magazine October 2005
• Materials: 32 count antique white jobelan, DMC, Kreinik 002HL #4 braid
• Size: IDK
• Time to stitch: 46 days

 Presenting my 2nd big finish of 2018!  This is a bittersweet finish…. 

The first time I saw the piece was on Facebook, and I immediately fell in love.  Soon enough I realized it was OOP and not easy to obtain, but I was not deterred.  Eventually, I got lucky on the 123 stitch message board.  (And bought a whole lot more vintage magazines besides). 

The pattern, by DMC, is fine, for the most part.  The backstitch on Merlin’s lower hand is not charted.  I did add quite a few fractional stitches around the chart so the backstitch lines would be neater. The directions say to longstitch the wallpaper pattern with one thread while you can see the model stitch was done with 2 threads.  It is very difficult to make long stitch look good, over empty fabric, especially a soft one like jobelan.  I wound up doing a lot of couching, at the intersection of the diamonds.

I chose white for the fabric since the design is rather busy.  I actually ordered antique white belfast for it, but when I started stitching, I realized it was mislabeled…. the fabric is not linen, nor is it lugana.  It’s very soft, so I think it’s jobelan.  The chart utilizes a true rainbow of DMC, and that was fun.  I did make a few mods, though, like converting Guievere’s hair to blonde, per the legend.  It was tricky since a lot of gold tones are used in the pattern, including in Guinevere’s dress.  I went for a platinum look, for contrast.  While the pattern calls for gold DMC light effects, I opted for Kreinik 002HL #4 braid (high luster gold) because I prefer it.  About 2 full spools were needed…. lots of sparkle and I’m happy with the look! 

My favorite aspects include the mirrored dragons in the lower border; they are so cute!  The illuminated letters in the top text are a nice touch.  The crests at the bottom were quite fun to stitch. 

And the character detail is fantastic!  Check out their clothes… Launcelot has detailed armor, a lovely tabard, and a rich red cape.  Three big feathers are tucked in his helmet, might one of them have been a gift from Guinevere?  Speaking of the lady, she holds her own, resplendent in pink and blue with a sparkling gold crown.

Merlin has sumptous robes in my favorite colors and a cool hat with gold symbols.  I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Arthur- the king is the tallest of them all, holding a hefty shield and a massive silver sword (Excalibur?) aloft, cutting into the upper border. His pose is powerful and triumphant.

This project took longer than expected, and now that it’s finished, I feel a bit of ennui.  It was my “holy grail” project for almost a year while I tried to track down the pattern, and then it became my favorite WIP.  Oh well, it will look lovely on the wall and perhaps in the future I’ll find another pattern that I love so much!