After many hours of stitching ! I don't like it at all.
Instead of using my brain I made a bad choice. I love the variegated colors in Catherine S. carpet. So what did I do? I just bought all those colors instead of mixing them with the solid colors also suggested in the stitch guide. Then I just merrily started stitching. Oh yes, I noticed things were looking weird but like a moron I continued.
The problem is... Every new color lot of these variegated dyed threads comes out differently. Some lots might be light batches some are dark and yes I bought the same color lots. As I stitched along the color changed so dramatically it looked like I started a completely different color. So the design gets lost in a blur of changing colors. I like that in the body of the red background but not when it comes to defining the design elements. That needs to be distinctive. Following the chart I have changed colors only to discover that say the pink is so close to the red I might as well not have bothered to re-thread my needle. The gray is so close to the blue at times, you can't tell those apart either.
So an executive decision has been made. I am going to scrap this piece and start ALL OVER AGAIN. Kill me now as my friend L. M. says.
Oh yes, I feel like a total idiot but hey..... If I am going to do all this work, I want to like my carpet when it is finished.
This is how it should have looked below. The colors are consistent in the middle of the design..
Oh, Catherine --what a bummer! The ironic thing is: it looks pretty great to me, but I know you will not settle for anything less than perfection. Better luck on round two! XOXO John
ReplyDeleteThanks John. I needed those hugs. UGH It's a BIG bummer for sure!
DeleteOh Catherine! Not an idiot, more like brave and determined! The easy option is to continue and complete it, not being happy with the end result. Instead you now have the chance to put it right and it'll be better than before! Be bold - I can't wait to see how you re-work it.
ReplyDeleteHug
Awww thank you Simon. I really am determined to make it right.
DeleteHi Catherine!
ReplyDeleteThe early stage of the carpet looks absolutely beautiful!
It is a lovely pattern and as I knew.......your stitching perfect. Sad to have to scrap all that work. I understand very well how you feel though.....if it seems wrong now it always will. I still think it looks great!
Your friend and fan,
Ray
You are right Ray. It would always bother me and I would be very mad at myself for accepting less then what I have in mind. I wish I had stopped before I had FOUR inches finished. hahaha
DeleteThank you Ray! oxoxox
DeletePoor Catherine. How annoying....but I think it looks marvellous. I know it's not how you thought it would look, but what about using solid colours for a few rows around your pattern to see what that looks like, before scrapping it altogether. It's just a pity to waste such a fab piece of work.
ReplyDeleteAll the best and take care.
Vivian
Thank you Vivian!!! Ray is right though. If I continued it would always bother me.
DeleteI would be angry at myself for being first stupid and second lazy. I have never been a quitter. So in a couple of weeks I will have what I wanted.
Catherine,
ReplyDeletehat brand of floss did you use? There is a big difference between variegated and over dyed floss. I won't go to deep in explaining but you can read about it here http://needlepointforfun.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/using-variegated-and-overdyed-needlepoint-threads/.
I use mainly Gloriana over dyed silk floss for my rugs and mainly for the backgrounds. It gives a very nice touch of an antique look of a very well worn carpet.
In the whole picture, if you continue to stitch with this choice of floss, it might make you change your opinion. However, if you are not happy with the result you see now, you won't be able to enjoy the process. So, it is not a bad idea to start from the beginning.
Patience!
Good luck!
Mini hugs, Natalia
Natalia,
ReplyDeleteI used The Gentle Arts variegated threads.
The ones I got go from very pale to very dark in the space of a few inches. What I want to do is use solid colors in some places and the variegated in other areas.
Thank you for the link and you good advice. I am going to start again.
Oh Catherine, I feel your pain! But Much better to realize now than Much later! I agree completely that you need the solid colors to outline areas, and where the pattern is complex and intricate! There is enough going on with that pattern in the first place... yes, you need the solid colors for most of it! Maybe you can turn the part you have done into an old "Turkish" cushion or cover a footstool with it.... Anything to keep all that work from being wasted! Heck, you could even make it into a "carpetbag" carry-all for mini sewing things! LOL! Just don't trash it!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I am glad you see it too.
DeleteIt is painful to start over but there is a whole lot of work left to do. So I might as well bite the bullet now and know I will be happy for having made that choice in the end.
Oh I'm sorry..... I think it looks great too, but if you say it is wrong, then I would imagine like an wood angle cut slightly off, the longer it gets the more the mistaken angle multiplies. I know how this must be upsetting you but it is a good decision, because I know you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda XXXXXXXXXXXXX
DeleteCatherine, I feel for you. You must have already stitched for many hours. I also think it looks great. I think that the dark blue will pull it all together, as well as the cream oval borders. If you just look at the four lighter blue triangles pointing outwards there is huge variation there.
ReplyDeleteI'm at the same point in my hunting scene in silk and am wondering whether to continue or even change to cross stitch to get a better coverage. I've decided to stay with it until I reach a darker colour. If I still don't like it then, I'll start again. I do agree with many others there's no point to continue if you really hate it, I'm just wondering if it's too soon to ditch this one!
Then you know exactly how I feel. I would love to see what you are stitching. I hope you have it up on your blog so I can see it. Thank you for taking your time to leave me a comment. I wish you the best of luck with your hunting scene piece. XXX
DeleteOh what an absolute shame. I loved the idea of a variegated thread and was looking forward to seeing how it would turn out. It is a pain to start again but you have to be happy with it. =0(
ReplyDeleteMe too Pepper. I have not given up on the variegated threads. Not at all! I just want to be able to see the ed outline of the designs.
DeleteHello Catherine! I had the same problem by buying threads. The lots are not all the same color and my "Aunt Olga" is much more faded than Catherine S. I hesitated to start but I do not regret finally have kept these colors give a little old air !
ReplyDeleteIt's very destabilizing at first to see the color changes in a few stitches but I think this is what gives its charm to the whole. When it is finished, the eye's attachment to the harmony that emerges from all and I think all these nuances contribute to this harmony.
That said, the most important is that you are happy to embroider and so do not hesitate to do so again if you think it is better!
I hope google translation speaks English better than me! Sometimes I doubt it ...
Good luck!
Nathalie
Nathalie,
DeleteI actually found your blog the other day. I was thrilled to see your gorgeous finished Aunt Olga carpet. You deserve a gold medal for your achievement.
I am sure that everyone who uses the variegate threads will have a slightly different look to their carpet. I also love the look of those faded colors. I think that is what makes them look so wonderful. I just want to be able to see the outline of the design. Which I feel has been lost in mine.
I will consider all you have said. I have to order the gauze to start again. So I will have more then a week or two to look at what I have on the currant canvas.
I would so LOVE to see your carpet in person. THANK YOU so much for coming in to leave me a comment.
Catherine, what a shame; but I agree that you should start again if it is not to your liking. You can use the piece on a needlework stand as a project in progress or do a bit more and use it as a small door mat. It will be nice to see in your display your 1st attempt and the final masterpiece. Good luck with whatever you decide.
ReplyDeleteThank you Penny.
DeleteI love this carpet design. It is my personal favorite. I really had never planned to stitch a carpet because nothing I saw spoke to me like this one does.
Hi Catherine, I totally relate with you. I often started a work from the beginning because I was not happy with a hue of colour and once for a misplaced single stitch! I can still feel the bitterness but I knew that 'd have seen it for the rest of my life no matter what everybody told me.
ReplyDeleteIf you aren't happy with it it is definitely better to start all over.
BTW I never use variegated threads for backgrounds for the same reason, the change of colour comes in just a few inches and it gives a look of patches of colours...not nice at all.
Best wishes Rosanna
Thank you Rosanna. When you think you are going to be looking at it for the rest of your life that is all that matters. You have to be happy with it.
ReplyDeleteCounted stitching is very hard for me. I am not good at it anyway. I loose my place because my eyes cannot stitch from canvas to chart without getting totally lost. It takes me 8 times longer for this reason then it would someone else. If I am going to struggle with this to complete the carpet I have to like the result.
So sorry for all the lost hours. I think we all experience a let down like that once in a while.
ReplyDeleteThank you Megan.
ReplyDeleteChoosing to start again was a difficult choice after so many hours of work.
Ouch!!!! It must be sooooo frustrating to get this far and be so unhappy with it! But I do believe that to be able to complete such a project you really have to love it!! Regardless of the colour....your stitching is perfect.
ReplyDeleteLinda xx
Thank you Linda. XXX
DeleteCatherine,
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame! I know the hours of work involved in a carpet like this one! You probably would not have been happy with the end result if you had continued stitching it! I will look forward to seeing the finished carpet!
Martha
Thank you Martha
DeleteI knew it was going to take a lot of time. I have to like what I see to be able to finish it.
El diseño es precioso. Yo creo que todo se puede utilizar en el sitio adecuado.
ReplyDeleteGracias por tomarse el tiempo para dejar un comentario.
ReplyDeleteYou are a brave woman! You have my sympathy and also admiration for choosing perfection over comfort. Do you have a magnetic board to keep your pattern on? It makes keeping track of your position so much easier when you can place a magnetic strip over the completed areas.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan,
ReplyDeleteNo I just take my chart and fold it to the place I am working on. Then use a magnet to hold it to my canvas. That way it is right there. It helps a bit but I really think I have an eye problem. Not that I can't see the chart or the canvas, I can. It is the business of moving my eyes back and forth. That is the only way I can describe it.
I don't know if I am brave. I just know I really want that rug. :-)
Hello Catherine,
ReplyDeleteThat is terrible! I'm sorry the rug did not work out...all your hard work. It's a very small consolation that at least you did not get more done before you realized it would not work.
Hang in there!
Big hug,
Giac
Thank you Giac. I have already ordered a new canvas. It isn't over. :-)
ReplyDeleteHave you ever considered a check up with an orthoptist?
ReplyDeleteOrthoptists work exactly with this kind of problems related to muscle balance and eye mobility. I know, I am one ;o)
Seriuosly, I'd give a try if I were you.
Have a lovely evening/morning Rosanna
Thank you Rosanna! I will mention it when I have my next appointment. XXX
DeleteHi Catherine! I was surprised to see how far advanced you are! You are a determined and that's for sure! I am not handy with a needle at all so any work of this type I hold in great awe! Your rug doesn't seem wrong to me at all but then you know exactly what you want and if it is not right then what does it matter what others think? It will always be in your head that you settled for less than the Best. Use what is here to make some throw cushions for one of your chairs, if that is possible, and then go on to make the rug of your dreams!
ReplyDeleteelizabeth
I got a new WONDERFUL frame today. I have already stitched the oval center. So much easier now. XXX
DeleteThank you for taking the time to leave me a comment.
Oh no Catherine! I understand the frustration, I think it still looks great, but when you're doing something that takes this long to do, it has to be as right as you think it should be. I did a Bobbie Schoonmaker kit, and I regret not listening to my feelings about the green thread being too in your face green. Its an awful lot of work to do, to be unhappy about in the end. You'll be back to this stage of the game in no time.
ReplyDeleteSarah x
Thank you Sarah. I am starting to see what I want. I hope the choices I make will give me the end result I am after. XXX
Deletep.s. The design is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI think so too. Catherine S. did a fantastic job charting the design from a rug that belonged to her Aunt Olga. How she did it is beyond me.
Deleteoh my god.. I'm so sorry, but I do get the 'moron' part, we do make dicisions like that sometimes, not meant to be stupid, but they appear to turn out that way unfortunately. Don't be to hard on yourself, it's very understandable, but a real shame from all that hard work. I do think it's actually brave to start over, that's also a way to look at it don't you think? ;) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI had (have) the same problem..I started with dark red batch, only one skein (optimist or mindless ?...) now I have to search only dark batch...but this carpet needs the effort...
ReplyDelete