Friday Finish: Here’s That Runner

Happy Friday, my friends!

I thought I’d share with you some photos of the finished runner that I’ve been working on from home lately. It’s always nice to finish the week with a project finish, after all!

Also, there’s a little reminder below about next week’s kit launch for Plique-á-Jour, and the beginnings of my latest “at home, night time, something-to-do” project.

So there it is! Voilà, the finish! And yes, like you, I’m looking at that picture and thinking, “A touch of an iron would not have gone amiss.”

My iron, alas, is at the studio – which tells you something about the state of my clothes these days.

There are no secrets in the blog-o-sphere, are there?

The runner was fun to work! It was just the right project for what I needed to keep my hands occupied at night, at home. It is the Arcadian Peony kit that you will find available in this listing in the shop. It works up fast, doesn’t really require a hoop or frame (it’s easy to work in hand), it’s very easy to see, since it’s a low-count fabric and the stitches are over two threads (all of which is explained in the instructions that come with the kit).

I like the hemstitched edge. There are no miters on the corners – I simply hemmed the two long sides and then folded the short sides and hemmed them. There’s no way to work neat miters with this type of fabric, on this smaller scale of a hem. It turned out just fine!

Next one in the works right now is Clara’s Garden, also available here in the shop.

Clara’s Garden is on 30 count white linen, which is crisper and finer than the previous project’s ground fabric, but still quite easy to see and to manage in hand.

I worked the first border stitches in hand, to establish the outline around the whole project. For me, this makes counting anything inside the border (as in, the rest of the project) simple. Then, I switched to a q-snap frame to accommodate my trigger thumb, which I noticed gets a bit sticky when I stitch in hand for too long.

I really love the colors in this project! They’re bright and happy, perfect for this time of year. I had a notion I could finish this by Easter, but, realistically, I seriously doubt it. But that’s ok – it’s great for all of spring and summer, too!

I’m enjoying having something to do with my hands while I’m spending more time at home these days. I will also be working on the maniturgium project from home, too. I had to bring equipment home last week (magnifier, lights) to accommodate that project. I’m not quite ready to start on it there, though. I haven’t quite figured out the logistics of where to set up a work station that I don’t have to take down every time a stitching session ends. I’ll figure that out this weekend…

Kit Launch Coming Up!

The kits for Plique-á-Jour – this Art Nouveau style embroidery project – will be available next week!

On Monday, I will give you all the details, including the launch date and time.

Just a little pre-information for now:

The kit contains all you need to embroider this beautiful project: a beautiful pearl-ivory silk ground fabric with the design pre-printed, cotton batiste backing, all the silk threads (Soie d’Alger from Au Ver a Soie), all the goldwork threads (four different types in generous quantities), spangles, beads, beeswax, silk couching thread, needles, plunging lasso, and a 29-page full color instructional manual with step-by-step instructions.

You’ll need to provide some tools: a frame for working on (I used 8″ x 10″ stretcher bars – you can use any size stretcher bars, scroll frame, or slate frame or similar – or a large hoop – that will accommodate a 12″ x 12″ cut of fabric with a design size of approximately 5″ x 7″), and two pairs of scissors, one for floss (those are your good scissors) and one for real metal threads (those are inexpensive but small and sharp scissors, like these Rainbow Thread Cutters); plus lighting and / or magnification, to fit your particular needs.

The project is suitable for intermediate stitchers and beyond. You should know how to use an embroidery frame, how to follow stitching instructions, start and end threads, and other basics of embroidery.

Determined beginners could also be capable of completing the project, if they are acquainted with embroidery basics, know how to set up a frame, and are comfortable following instructions.

The actual stitching of the project is not very complicated, but it does require some experience with following instructions, as well as confidence or determination if you are new to working with silk and gold.

Keep an eye out for further details on Monday, including the announcement of the launch date and time (which will happen next week, too).

Have a lovely weekend!