Thursday, November 15, 2007

Checking It Twice - Dragon Dreams



This is the ornament I have stitched for my parent's tree this year. Ma pointed it out in the current JCS ornament issue as one she liked when we were choosing an ornament for Molly, so I've made this as a surprise!.

There's quite a bit of stitching in this, but it was fairly straightforward. There is an error in the chart, but an email to Jennifer at Dragon Dreams sorted that out very quickly - thanks Jennifer!

I made a couple of changes to the design as charted - I used Wisper instead of Fuzzy Stuff for the "fur" simply because that was what I had to hand. Ditto the fabric choice - alarmingly, when tightening the fabric on my hoop, it tore. I've never had that happen before! And it's good aida - from Zweigart. Fortunately, I was using a hoop that could contain the whole design, so it did leave me with enough margin for making up the ornament - just! The other change I made was substituting beads for the red stitches in the border and holly wreath - I love beads for things like that!

The ornament is backed with felt, and I didn't add cord around the edges as I thought it would look a bit too fussy. I hope my parents like it!

Design Details

Fabric: 14 count aida, airforce blue
Threads: DMC stranded cotton and Rainbow Gallery Wisper
Designer: Jennifer Aikman Smith - Dragon Dreams
Chart Details: Checking It Twice - JCS Ornament Issue 2007
Stitch Count: 49V x 49H
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch, Backstitch
Threads Used: DMC blanc, 223, 224, 319, 368, 369, 415, 498, 712, 738, 739, 814, 815, 3371. Rainbow Gallery Wisper in White. Cross stitch in two strands of floss.
Embellishments: Mill Hill Beads.
Modifications Made: Substituted fabric and used Wisper thread not Fuzzy Stuff. Used beads for berries in border and on wreath.

3 comments:

Jennifer said...

That came out really nice - I love the beads in it. They really give it dimension. Your parents should love it!

Iris said...

It's beautiful ! !

mainely stitching said...

That's some lovely stitching - and thanks for all the additional details on how you made it so pretty!