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!