I’ve been trying to get a little more adventurous with my stitching lately. Earlier this month I finished up my first goldwork piece, and then there was the canvaswork class piece I finally finished (nearly 4 years after starting it…). Now I’m working on a correspondence classes offered through the Embroiderers’ Association of Canada (EAC). The design is by Carolyn Mitchell and is called Florentine Fancy.
Florentine Fancy, designed by Carolyn Mitchell (WIP)
The design is taught over six lessons, and is meant to be finished within six months. The first lesson is about about the Florentine stitch, which is also known as bargello. It sounds fancy, but it essentially just satin stitch over 4 threads, with some offset between different bunches of stitches. The major thing to be aware of is counting. If you don’t count right everything will be off. I know this very well because I messed up right at the beginning. :/ But, I’m totally back on track now.
I’m a bit nervous about my colour choices since there wasn’t much direction beyond “pick five graduating colours from two different colour families.” Yikes! I think I made okay choices though. So far I like how it looks, and the rest of the design flows very similarly to what I’ve stitched so far. It is so big though, and I’m worried about getting it done on time.
Florentine Fancy – close-up
My biggest issue right now is thread. I’ve run out of one colour and I’m about to run out of another. 🙁 So, stitching is on hold until I can get to my LNS and stock up. Part of the issue is that instead of using one strand of #5 perle cotton, I decided I liked the look of two strands much better. So, I’ve gone through twice as much thread as I expected.
So, this lovely design is on hold for now. Please do let me know what you think of the pink and grey together. I can still change out the grey if it isn’t working. 😉
Happy stitching!
Needleworker, Knitter, Crocheter, Sewist, Cricuteer, and more!
Pink and gray are one of my favorite color combinations. With an accent of white or black you can’t go wrong.
I saw this on your Instagram and absolutely love the colors. Will you share which ones you picked? Is it DMC thread?
I love doing bargello stitching. Once you have your pattern established, it goes so quickly. Looks gorgeous too. I like the pink and greys, personally.
Your colour choices are perfect, I love them. You are brave taking on all of these new stitching challenges. Well done!
Your colors are stunning. I hope you find the right dye lot for your threads.
hugs
xxx
Love the colors you picked, and when you look at it from a distance the grays give it a 3-D look that really make the pinks pop off the canvas.
Just gorgeous! I think it looks perfect together. Good luck with it! I look forward to seeing more.
What a lovely start! I think the pink and grey look very pretty. Looking forward to seeing how this piece progresses.
Gorgeous! I haven’t done Bargello since the 1970’s. I guess everything old is new again. Crafts are so cyclical.
It looks lovely. I really like the pink and grey colour combo. It’s very striking.
I think they look beautiful together pink and gray is one of my favorite combos
I don’t usually like grey in anything because it’s inclined to sadden the effect, but I think this is going to work very nicely. Hold your nerve, and keep stitching!
It looks lovely and the pink and grey go together very well. Hope you can get hold of some more thread and continue this WP soon. 🙂
Great colour choices! I think this looks really interesting, and beautifully stitched too.
Gorgeous colors! That’s going to look beautiful when it’s done.
I’m really enjoying your forays into different kinds of needlework.
That is just gorgeous! Love the colours together. Funnily enough in my last post I said the words “isn’t bargello awesome?” because I’ve just stitched a small amount on my latest sampler.
I think the colors in this one are quite stunning.
Your color choices are wonderful, so no need to change anything! Just get more floss ha ha!
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