My Summer Exchange TO Claudia

Here is what I stitched for my partner Claudia for the Seasonal Exchangers BB on our theme this time of Summer. I chose to buy this kit 'Mistress Mary' a Shepherds Bush design for the exchange as Claudia had said on her list of likes that Shepherds Bush were one of them and well.....I didn't need alot of swaying towards stitching one of their designs LOL...because as you know I just LOVE alot of them. I also chose this particular one as Claudia had said Lavenders were amongst her favourite colours and this does have that kind of shade in amongst it. I love the colours of this myself very much as I do nearly all the SB colour choices :-)) I didn't use the little rabbit charm for this as I had the tiny lavender colour butterfly so I put that in the sky instead just for Claudia :)

I did ponder over how to finish this and then I had an inspiration come into my head to make it into a flanged pillow....with a bit of a difference. I remembered I had seen a Merry Cox finish sometime , somewhere in someones album of a flange pillow finish with Nuns Stitch (at least I think it was) round the edge with the 2 layers joined together (I think).

I used the Faded Roses hand-painted silk for the stitch around the design, this took some care to catch both sides with the holes of the linen all matching perfectly. Not too bad though as the thread was a good contrast so I could see where I had been. However LOL this should have been a warning to me!!

I got my Creame silk thread at the ready as I decided on that for the Nuns Stitch to keep the main design as the focal point. I would never have believed it would have taken so long to stitch round this small pillow through the two layers of linen but believe me to keep all the holes lined up and an equal count out, pale creame thread on pale cream linen it took foreverrrrrrrrr, I had to keep checking every stitch front and back !! I was going at a rate of about 15 stitches every half hour so it was a real labour of love. It very nearly got abandoned and made into a Pinkeep ;-)) BUT I persevered for 2 days solid with this Nuns Stitch edging because it was for Claudia (it WOULD have become the Pinkeep if it was for me ;-)) To think...I usually think of this stitch nice and quick and easy with just one layer of linen!! :O

I know I am not as experienced and don't know as much as some of you with your finishing as I have only been doing this for a year or so with cross-stitch and I suppose with hindsight I should have pulled a thread all round on each layer or used a running stitch of dark thread to show me my way but nooooooo I did it the hard way LOL. I had intended to use the silk ribbon threaded through all round with a small bow top and bottom like the MC one but it looked too fussy on this, so I opted for the wee bow at the top corner instead :)

It is not perfect either although I love the finished result...I had trimmed round my Nuns Stitch, pressed the flange edge of the pillow then sat down to examine it. BAD IDEA!! I saw at the top that I could just trim a tiny touch more off the edge right close to the stitching , pick up my scissors , at the ready .......and CUT just as Hamish decided to jump up at me.... You know when you go all prickly all the way down, like a cold sweat or something ?? That was what I felt like in the first instant as I thought it was going to be ruined!! Thankfully just about 3 threads at the top on the Nuns Stitch are slightly closer than I wanted but not so close it will unravel PHEW!!!!!!! That was sooo lucky!!

I also made Claudia a simple card to go in her exchange

and I made her a scented silk strawberry when I did Anitas both are pictured here. The lemon one is Claudia's :-))




For all my trials with this, my first flanged pillow, I thoroughly enjoyed making it and I am delighted that Claudia loves it and thinks it is stunning WOW !! That has made me very happy as she sent such a nice exchange out to Su. I didn't know but this is her first ever exchange and she seems to be delighted she has to get three more of pieces of my stitching over the next few months :-)) Now to think of Autumn ;-))




I have a couple of things I am finishing soon so I will be back when they are done and I will get caught up with you all in the next week or two :-))

Take care!