Another Tuesday - Yet Another UFO

This week I decided my eyes probably couldn't cope with another session of 1 over 1 stitching so opted for a different UFO and it was the Heirloom Embroideries piece For Amanda that guilt tripped me the most. Just in case you can't remember what it looked like, here's a pic of where I last left it:


Now I thoroughly enjoyed stitching this piece but I stalled when it came to the central heart motif, as it involved some woven and pulled thread work and was totally outside my comfort zone. Last night was zero hour: time to tackle it and put the phobia to bed. The kloster blocks stitched up, no problem, and I started on the cutting......... three sections taken out OK and then my DSis phoned, so I broke off to go for a natter. About half an hour to 45 minutes later I came back, settled down, glanced at the chart and cut out another four threads............ then had that sickening "OMG, what have I done?" moment when realisation hit:

1. I'd cut out the wrong four threads;


2. It was going to be impossible to repair;


3. I can't do the woven/pulled threadwork infill in the heart now.

I put it to one side and told DH what I'd done, then swallowed hard so I wouldn't either start crying or start throwing things. Yes, it's only a piece of needlework but I'm stitching this as a joint memorial piece to my Mum and Dad, so it's got special meaning to it - making such a huge cock up on it hurt and I felt physically sick.

After I'd calmed down I picked it up again and realised that, actually, I can make the mistake work for me: I can forget about the woven and pulled thread work, as per the chart, (which I wasn't confident about anyway) and finish the centre area as a proper hardanger piece with woven bars and a beaded filling stitch. I've already altered the letter M in this piece, to make it a little less heavy than the charted one, so now I'm altering the heart - maybe it's not as Carol, the designer, envisaged it but I guess it will have my personalisation on it. Hope she won't mind.

The mistake was taking out those horizontal threads - I should only have been taking out vertical threads, so the gaps shouldn't be there. A very hard lesson learnt this time round. :0(

This morning the remaining piece of fabric from my last Sew and So order arrived: a fat quarter of 28ct Brittney in Antique White, so that's been added to the rest in my stash. Good service again: received an email yesterday to say the fabric was back in stock and my piece had been despatched and it arrived today, postage free. :0)

I picked out the threads for the next Halloween piece this afternoon and will probably use some Pol's Hot Potatoes fabric again, so that's my stitching for tonight sorted. It's the final part of Lost In Austen too, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that unfolds - there have been some unexpected twists and very funny moments but the best bit had to be this Mr Darcy dunking himself in the ornamental pond at Amanda Price's request. Christine: Colin Firth he isn't but Phwoar! He would certainly give CF a run for the money in a wet cotton shirt competition! LMAO. Poor Jane Austen - she must be turning in her grave! LOL Oooo it sounds like it's about to start so I'm off.......

Many thanks for the kind comments, they're much appreciated. Hope you're all having a lovely stitchy day, free of pesky frogs and mistakes. :0)