OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern: by Mirabilia, hair & bead conversion by me
• Materials: 28 ct Monoco by Charles craft, self dyed, Kreinik, Delica & Swarovski
• Size: 12″ x 18.5″
• Time to stitch: 30.5 days

Presenting the latest addition to my mermaid gallery, my favorite WIP, now finished!

The pattern is fine, quite a bit larger than I expected, having finished several other Mira mermaids.  I started in the middle with her tail and when I stitched around the area her hand would be, I had an idea of the scale.  Speaking of the hands, that is one area of the pattern that was a bit wonky.  The backstitch as charted would seem to indicate a few fingers were webbed, so I added a bit more to delineate the fingers.  Also I stitched her on a larger count fabric than usual, more about that below.    I did a conversion on the hair because I wanted a golden blonde mermaid for my collection.  (310->3829, 898->422, 434->729, 435->676, 3828->677). She was a joy to stitch with gorgeous colors, nothing too fussy, and plenty of sparkles.  

The fabric was a piece of 28 count white monoco I got at the craft store and dyed myself, it was actually my first dye experiment.  I used two colors of Rit dye, teal & evening blue, in a two step, low immersion process.  It didn’t turn out quite like I hoped, but it worked well for this piece.  Once dyed, the 28 count fabric shrunk to about 30 count.  In any case, the beads fit much better than they would have on 32 count, which I what I normally use.  There are very long rows, and tall sections, of beads, and I was able to do all the beadwork as per pattern.   However, I did a bead conversion because I estimated the cost of the Mill Hill beads and treasures and it was about $150, which was hard to stomach.  

A little research revealed I could buy Japenese beads and Swarovski crystals for a fraction of the cost ($27 in total).  Here is the conversion info:

Beads: Mill Hill 42010 -> Miyuki Delica transparent silver lined size 15 15DB0041, Mill Hill 10041 -> Toho hematite size 12 SB3775, Mill Hill 60161 -> Miyuki Delica Size 11 Luster Crystal 11DB0050

Treasures: Mill Hill 13003 -> Swarovski margarita Emerald 6 mm, Mill Hill 13051 -> Swaroski drop bead crystal AB 9 mm, Mill Hill 13091 -> Swarovski bicone Graphite 6mm, Mill Hill 12187 -> Czech Pressed Glass Flower Spacer 5 mm Aquamarine Matte AB, Mill Hill 12141 -> Swarovski margarita light sapphire 6 mm

Now, I am not sure if my conversion is perfect in terms of the colors, but they all look great on my piece, so I’m happy.  Also, the Delica and Toho beads are much nicer than Mill Hill ones, perfectly cut, uniform, and smooth.  
My favorite aspects of the piece are her sunny golden hair, proud and serene expression, and crown of sparkly beads, treasures, and leaves. I also love all the sparkles between the 6 spools of Kreinik and countless beads, treasures.  I’m pretty sure Enchanted is the sparkliest thing I’ve ever stitched, and that’s fine with me.  

And with that, I’m back in the single digits (9) WIPs.