
I started out looking for something small to stitch on the planes. I decided on several Mill Hill Kitchen Collection kits, but they come with 14 count Aida and
I hate Aida. So looking through my fabric drawers I picked out a white 28 count Monaco with enough fabric for four kits. While I was looking for the 28 count fabric I ran across the 36 count antique white Edinburgh and the threads that I got a couple of months ago for Blue Ribbon Designs
Postcards from Paradise. I had the fabric, I had the threads, but I could not find the pattern. That led to a lot of rummaging around in various boxes. By the time I found it (and picked out some fabric for Raise the Roof's
Hang Ten), there was nothing left but for me to start the pattern I had spent all that time searching for. Besides stitching this in Maui seems so appropriate. I washed and ironed the
Postcards from Paradise fabric and "borrowed" the Q-snaps from
Three Gables. I was ready to stitch.
I have never stitched on fabric as small as 36 count. The model was done on 40 count one strand over two threads, but I saw a model done on 36 count and thought that was small enough. I have never stitched one over two. I really wasn't sure there would be enough coverage. And the problem I was really worried about is that the threads are all from Crescent Colours. I hated, hated, hated those threads when I was stitching Raise The Roof's
Warm Water Wash. But when I was buying the threads I could only find two Weeks Dye Works colors that were close enough to the Crescent Colours threads to actually substitute. I'll use DMC 3371 for CC Black Coffee. So I started stitching. I do love the colors, but for the first 20 crosses during
every single cross, the thread knotted, just as it had on
Warm Water Wash. I don't stitch quickly. I don't pull my threads tightly. This is just inferior thread. On the twentieth cross I spent almost 20 minutes trying to pry the knot apart before giving up in disgust and cutting out the knot. I did keep going and got two boxes and two motifs done. I just hope that I don't give up on this altogether, but it could happen. I do know that I will
NEVER, EVER buy Crescent Colours threads again. If I can't find a color match, I will just go with different colors.
I do like the pattern and I do feel like a mini-finish after every motif is finished. I even enjoyed starting in the middle with K and P since my maiden name started with P, so I used KP as my initials until I was married. But I am bringing
Three Gables with me as a backup project, if I decide that these Crescent Colours threads cannot be used. I leave for San Francisco in a couple of hours. I probably won't have reliable photo uploading until we get to Maui on Sunday. I hope everyone has a splendid weekend.