Ages and ages and ages ago, a couple of years I think, I bought the kit below. It's a crewelwork kit made by DMC. I started stitching. I got as far as you see below when...
Some of the threads ran out. I've ran out of two blues and a green, but still have a way to go as you can see.
I wrote to DMC asking what brand they used so I could buy more. They ignored me. I emailed again. They ignored me. I took swatches of the threads to craft fairs to try and replace them, no luck. I gave up. Recently, I decided to try again. I hit t'internet.
I ordered Appleton wools in a swath of shades of blue. Have I used the word "swath" correctly there? Is it even a real word? Anyway, my choices were close, but no medal. Have a look:
I have no local supplier of crewel wools and so I was relying on what I could see on the screen and I think we all know how inaccurate that can be. Since taking these pictures, I have bought some more wools and I managed to match one of the colours, the bluey/green you can see half done on a leaf in the picture above.
Now, the sensible thing to do would have been to send off my swatches to the shop and asked them to match them. But I've lost them. Anyway, the stitching is crap. I'd just learnt to embroider and took long and short stitch very literally, I KNOW I can do better now, I've had practice on a project which I've never even showed you (I will soon!). My question is... do I rip all this out and start again or will my linen be trashed? Or, do I ditch this and start again on a new piece of linen? It was pre-printed but I have the outline on the stitch guide which I can trace.
Someone make a decision for me please!
19 comments:
Quelle dextérité !
Anna
Leave it as is - turn it into a sweet wee bag and put it down to experience. It'll look very lovely not quite done i think. Then, do another :)
Your stitching looks good to me, I would take out those partly stitched flowers and start those again, using the darker blues as those flowers would be shaded by the others in life. Original old crewel work was done with whatever colours were to hand ! It's too pretty a design to waste, and those kits are far from cheap !!!
aw, it looks good from way over here.
i'd rip out some of the oldest stitches to see if the linen underneath is not too stretched or hole-y. otherwise, new linen is a good idea.
good luck!
Do you have an Abakhan near you? They have a lot of DMC threads. I don't know about crewel work, so can't suggest which thread it is. There is also a lady on e-bay who sells DMC thread really cheaply, I think she is in Jersey
I'm surprised DMC didn't respond. They always promptly sent me thread whenever I ran out. And I am very frugal with my floss/thread but they never include enough in their kits. I'd keep trying them. Or maybe their Facebook page. It's a beautiful design!
I don't need extra stress in my life - I say drop it off at a thrift store and let someone else try to do the matching. You say yourself that the stitching is crap - do it again and keep track of all colour numbers :)
Personally I would start again, with so much done I'm not sure how the linen would survive.
Meant to say, I'm not very impressed with DMC you should post on their fb wall, I bet that would get them moving.
What a horrible story! So much trouble and no luck.
If I were you I would trace the pattern on to a new piece of linen and start over. Ripping will only damage the linen so much, and the yarn you've used will have left ink on it. Good luck!!
I think it's looking great and I definitely wouldn't rip it out. If the colour match bothers you too much, I'd start something else and put this by until you come across the right colours :)
I don't know, but you've spent ages working on this beautiful design - cornflowers? Why stick to the same colours? Life doesn't have to be an exact match. I'd work the bottom 2 flowers with white petals and a nod to the blues at the base of the petals. Then it won't matter that the blues are a bit different. The leaf can always be in darker shades as though it's in a shadow. Don't fret - it's beautiful and will be so pretty when you've finished it.
That is really frustrating, have you looked to see if anyone is selling the same kit on EBay? Seems a shame to rip it out when you are so close to finishing.
I agree with Truly Myrtle,make it into a bag or pouch,or maybe even a pin cushion???
Just pick your favorite colors and continue on. Nature is rarely perfect and flower colors vary.
I don't think it's crap at all. I ran out of a thread for an Anchor kit and they sent me more, so boooo to DMC! Do Hobbycraft sell Crewel yarn do you think? Otherwise I'd use your close blues instead, once it's finished I don't think it will look odd.
I'd be interested to see what you've decided on this, if you've decided. I think the stitching looks good, and I think it's good to have a record of how you progress over the years. I agree with other commenters who suggest working the remaining flowers with colors of your choosing. But I also like the idea of tracing the pattern and making a new one totally with your own colors (and likely enough to match the entire project!). I would not rip it out at all. Even if you leave it as is, it's still something family members will treasure one day...
How frustrating. I'd carry on with the closest match, but you must do what you feel happy with. If you'll hate it, pass it onto someone else
don't know if you made a decision yet but I would leave it. I think it looks great. Continue with the same technique and no one will know the difference.
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