Hardanger update: one done, three to go
by HML
It was starting to feel like handmade Christmas gifts were too ambitious of goals, but the first project is done! Follow the jump for a few teaser pictures and cryptic details.
The Vesterheim centerpiece wrapped up this week, much to my relief. The cutting, needleweaving, and picot knots took almost a month to complete, which was a lot longer than I originally estimated. Now I know better! Once I started cutting and weaving it became apparent that there was a lot more to do than I’d guessed from the picture, which was discouraging. To stay motivated I set a small daily goal to complete one or two sides of a diamond per day. I also reminded myself that any little amount I could do in a day meant that much less remaining the next day. Eventually it was finished! After Christmas I’ll post photos of the entire centerpiece.
Meanwhile, on the Mindy centerpiece I finished the kloster blocks and blanket stitches. Next I’ll work the dark blue accents: satin stitch motifs and a reverse double cable stitch border. After all the surface stitches are finished it will be time to cut and needleweave again, but thankfully the Mindy chart doesn’t have anywhere near as much cutting as the Vesterheim piece. I’m cautiously optimistic I can finish Mindy by the end of October. Once the surface stitches are complete for this centerpiece I’ll start work on the remaining two projects.
A welcome addition to my sewing box is this fantastic pair of left-handed embroidery scissors, pictured resting on their laurels, a.k.a. the completed Vesterheim centerpiece. Made by Dovo, these little guys are feather-light, unbelievably thin and so sharp; I can cut much closer to the stitches than with my other scissors. (My Ginghers are jealous.) They would probably be overkill for standard cross-stitch projects, but are perfect for Hardanger. I’ve had a hard time finding true left-handed scissors locally; I found these in the Silver Needle on-line shop.
PS: Auntie Bragging Moment, here. Between her favorite American Girl books and the sampler I made for her birthday, my eight year-old niece wants to learn how to stitch a sampler! Her first attempt can be seen on her family’s blog. I’m thrilled and hope that she will find it fun and rewarding.
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Tags: handmade gifts, hardanger
