Not part three of a book, I'm afraid, but part three of my Mystery Sampler. I've just added the last stitches to part two of my Blackbird Design project, so I had to share. This is the one I was picking out stitches from not too long ago. I am very pleased with it as I think the stitches are all in the right places and it is ready to be sewn to part one. The only thing that I've left out is my initials, which will go in the middle of the circular vine. They will be stitched over one, but I was too lazy to do so right now and will worry about placing them just right later on.
And, voila, here are the first two parts next to each other. I will at some point be sewing them together. I've never done this sort of thing so I will wait until I am feeling brave. Actually I think it won't be too bad, but it seems a little tedious. It's hard to tell from my photos, but the linens are actually different colors. Part one is stitched on a fabric called Korty's Blend, and part two on Irish Cream. The one on the left is slightly more brown, and the linen on the right is lighter.
And now I am all ready to start part three! You can take a peek at the photo on the chart to see what I'll be stitching. A house, more vines and yet more blackbirds and strawberries. This section also calls for two specialty stitches--eyelets (which are stitches that pull the linen threads open to create a tiny hole), and smyrnas, which are a favorite of mine and very easy to do. Eyelets, however, are one of my least favorite stitches, which another project also calls for. I guess I'll be getting in some good practice in the next few weeks.
Part three calls for a fabric called Iced Cappuccino. The linens are all hand dyed and often use natural products like teas and coffees, so they often smell sort of yummy. The floss I am using is also hand dyed and I get to add a few new colors to my palette--Roasted Marshmallow, Basil and Caterpillar. I only need to measure my linen and cut off the excess and I will be ready to start stitching--hopefully this weekend. I'll be in the middle section of the design, so only two more to go after this part. It would be nice to finish part three before the end of the year, but this might be overly optimistic.
I am contemplating working on a few small designs for Christmas--scary thought, but if I don't start now I won't finish in time. And I have another chart that I have wanted to start, but I need to measure and cut the linen first. I'm already looking forward to sharing my progress--are you getting tired of my Mystery Sampler yet? At least there will be something new to look at soon!