I’m still stitching…
It’s not really necessary to say it, but I’ve been absent from the blogging world for quite a while. There aren’t really any good reasons why, just haven’t felt like it I guess. But, not to worry, I have been stitching in my absence. There are quite a few projects I haven’t blogged about, the most recent of which I’ve been working on for the past three weeks. If you recall, a few months ago, I was working on a series of vintage Silver, Glass, China patterns for my mom for mother’s day, but then decided to scrap it after I couldn’t quite get it together for the China piece. I decided to instead stitch up a pillow case using the “antique bouquet” pattern from the A Rainbow of Stitches book. I didn’t take any pictures of the project in stages, so these pictures of the almost finished product will have to do. I have finished the bouquet pattern, but am not quite finished with the pillow case.
You will notice that I used a variety of stitches, and that everything is filled in, which took a very, very long time…Fill stitches on all the small flowers:
The color-scheme was chosen to match a patchwork quilt that my mom uses on her bed. This was my first time using the chain stitch as a fill-stitch:
I love using french knots for filling in, even though it takes forever and can make the wrist ache:
I also used a variety of flosses. I used DMC floss for most everything, but I also used Clover LETO floss that I bought online a while back, and DMC variegated perl cotton floss (the above french knotted things are stitched with this). I don’t know if you can tell from the picture, but the LETO floss (the large blue and purple flower is LETO and everything else is DMC) has a more matte finish and looks a bit more woolly than the DMC floss:
I’m still not quite finished though. I will be adding a border I found on the Hoop Love Vintage Transfer group on flickr. Hopefully that will not take me another three weeks to get through…I’ll also hopefully post more often 
Here are the projects I did while I was away. Dish towels for a friend’s bridal shower:
Easter treat for my friend who loves Easter:
Wow love the flower stitches!
Thanks Cherie! I found your blog and I love it, yay!
Beautiful Mel – I think your mom will love it! PS – this is Other Mel (aka Not Sew Perfect).
I had to take a break from that thing after I finished the bouquet…it took SO long to do that I just need to be away from it for a while before I get started on the border. Mother’s Day is inching ever closer though, so I should probably hop to it once I get back home. I don’t think I will be as detailed with the border though…probably not going to be doing any filling and using simple stitches.