December Sampler Accent - Periwinkle Promises

Design: December Sampler Accent
Designer: Periwinkle Promises
Threads: Silks as per kit
Fabric: 28 count raw linen

This will be added to my basket of smalls come December, despite The Hermit's dislike of all things Christmas :o) I have most of the monthly sampler accents, and I'm finishing them all as mini pillows, without tassels. The fabric you can see in the second picture is the fabric I chose for the backing.

Saturday Update

I didn't stitch at all yesterday - although I intended to!

I was going to Nottingham for a Bookcrossing meet, and as usual, dithered on the computer a bit too long. As I had a train to catch, I grabbed my scissors, a small hoop and a Periwinkle Promises kit to wile away the train journey (it's about 50 minutes). Got to the station, just in time to get the train, settled in my seat, opened the kit ... oops! Periwinkle Promises kits don't include a needle, and my needle box was in my other handbag... Fortunately, I had a book on me :o)

There doesn't seem to be a general craft shop in the middle of Nottingham, but I did find The Bead Shop, where I got a few charms, some seed beads, and a wire knitting kit to make myself a bracelet. It sounds fun - and easy :o)

December Sampler Accent - Periwinkle Promises

I think I will scan this and replace the picture, but this will give you an idea of how one of my last 2007 finishes looks!

It's another little sampler accent kit from Periwinkle Promises, and doesn't it look all serene, with the little angels on it ... those angels caused rather a lot of swearing and frogging, as the spacing isn't consistent across the row, something I failed to recognise, until my angels didn't line up under their haloes ...


I'm still to be convinced that silk is somehow "better" than cotton for stitching with too.


This shall be finished as a mini-pillow, hopefully before this December!


Design details:
To be added

September Sampler Accent - Periwinkle Promises

I have most of the months of the year in this series, and each one has the same pleasures - and pitfalls.

Firstly - the pleasures. The instructions are excellent, very comprehensive and new stitches are clearly diagrammed. There's plenty of thread included in the kit. The jury is still out on whether stitching with silk is any better than plain old cotton - I don't really think so, but it is nice to work with for a change. Once the outer borders are done, the project grows rapidly, especially if - like me - you substitute regular cross stitch in for the Smyrna stitches!

The pitfalls - the amount of fabric is so measly that I can't put it in a hoop big enough to work the whole border on at once. Another 1.5" all round would solve that!

There's a lot of bands of double back stitch in these little pieces, which is fine although a little monotonous at times, but the dividing bands do grow so much quicker than that border. I hate the borders on these things - I do it first to anchor the design, but it is the thing that puts me off doing more than one in a row!

This will be made into a pillow for my smalls basket.

Design Details

Fabric: 29 count Glenshee linen, natural
Threads: Soie d'Alger silk
Designer: Barbara L Rakosnik, Periwinkle Promises
Kit Details: September Sampler Accent - Periwinkle Promises (c) 1998
Stitch Count: 47H x 59V
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch, Running Stitch, Double Back Stitch, Back Stitch, Mosaic Stitch, Smyrna Stitch, Straighht Stitch,
Threads Used: Soie D'Alger in 4144, 4624, 4623, 4622, F13, 1835, 1846. Cross stitch in one strands.
Embellishments: Cream Mill Hill beads
Modifications Made: None. Many smyrna stitches subsitituted by cross stitches