Finish or Fling? - Floral Sampler (Blackwork)

 I've tried to find a picture of the kit online, but it seems to be discontinued. Anyway, this is a blackwork sampler that looks a bit like an Elizabethan knot garden in layout. For someone who doesn't like doing back stitch on their cross stitch work, I'm quite fond of doing blackwork, and have done two *big* samplers and a couple of smaller ones.

Pros:

• I really like the design
• No colour changes!
• Will fit on with my collection of other samplers

Cons:

• Quite a lot of work to do on it
• Needs a lot of concentration

So - Finish or Fling?

Verdict: Finish. Will probably end up dying the fabric with tea afterwards, as the white is a little dazzling.

Honeycomb Sampler - Meinick Designs

Design: Honeycomb Sampler
Designer: Meinick Designs
Threads: DMC 310 and 113
Fabric: 28 count evenweave, cream

This project that I've finally finished was originally a round robin which came back to me incomplete. It's been mouldering in my UFO pile for about three years...

Originally designed for metallic gold highlights in amongst the blackwork, I changed the colour to a varigated gold stranded cotton as I wanted a more subtle effect - and also I'm not keen on working with metallic threads and didn't want to inflict that on other people too!


I changed the lettering on the verse (although not the verse) because to be honest, the initial lettering look rather amateurish and blocky - and I felt it really spoiled the quality of the whole design. I've noticed that on a number of charts - there's great care taken over the design, and no thought seems to be given to the lettering, especially back stitch lettering. The one I chose was the general one Victoria Sampler uses - it was the right size and the style seemed to fit. (Picture is a bit yellow, it was taken under artificial light)


This will - eventually - get framed and the decision to whether to hang it on my 'wall of bees' or 'wall of blackwork' will have to be taken :o)