Summer stitching
by HML
In addition to my niece’s band sampler, I spent the summer working on several small kits by Just Nan. These projects are so cute: lots of color and intricate stitches packed into a small space, and each could be completed in a couple of days.
This sparkly pair of enamel boxes are my new stitching assistants. Lady Scarlet and Bella Bee (aka Barnabee’s Bride) preside over the dishes in which I keep small stitching odds and ends. They’re surprisingly heavy, which makes them perfect for holding down the page in an instruction book, or pressing folds into place to mark the center of a piece of fabric. But that’s not all: each box opens to reveal a tiny needle book or needle roll. It’s no surprise that Lady Scarlet and Bella Bee are Thing Two magnets, but he may only play with them with careful supervision.
Equally appealing is this year’s Over the Top/In the Tin series: four small tins with embroidered lids and a stitching accessory to store inside. The spring and summer tins were Hop and Sizzle, with a coordinating needle book scissor fob and pin wheel, respectively. (I didn’t attach the cord to the needle book because I don’t have a pair of scissors tiny enough to fit inside the tin.) I’ve also completed autumn’s Boo tin, but haven’t started its needle book yet. Jingle, due to arrive in November, will finish out the series.
Finishing is not my strong suit but I’m improving with each project. These kits are not very difficult to finish; very basic stitches and careful application of glue are all that’s required. The Gimlet has been pressed into service to help wind the embroidery floss twisted cords that border each tin lid; enlisting a helper worked a lot better than trying to wind the cord alone using a door knob.
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Tags: cross-stitch, finishing, just nan, smalls
