The double
running stitch on Jane Turner’s Lady Band is finished, and I feel a bit like Dr
Frankenstein shouting it’s alive!!! The lady has a head! The problem is, that’s all she has. Her body / dress is outlined in chain stitch
and I don’t plan to do that until all the (endless) leaves are filled in.
And
harrumph, I’ve found another error on the chart. I really should have learned by now to look
at all the pictures before doing major bits of stitching, but apparently I’m
untrainable about certain things. The
trees, with all their leaves and fruits and flowers, are charted as a (nearly)
perfect mirror image, but Jane didn’t stitch them that way and neither did the
model stitcher. So what did the model
stitcher work from if her stitching matches the original sampler rather than
the chart? Oh well, deep breath. (chanting to self: adaptation … adaptation … adaptation)
This band
has several things in the chart that are not addressed in the written instructions,
such as those four light blue blips around the lady (they're actually diamond shaped). No
idea what they’re supposed to be. And
those two odd looking things, the right-side one being right above the
caterpillar? Moths. Whoever stitched Jane’s “sister” samplers
made them clearly moths, while Jane’s look like … odd things. Since I don’t really care for moths in
samplers, mine will just be odd floaty things as well.
ETA: Apologies for not being clear! In my sampler, the two sides ARE a mirror
image, but on Jane’s original and on the model, the right side is
different. Blissfully unaware of this, I
stitched the double running stitch as
charted, but the chart doesn’t match the model or the original
sampler.
In the
picture below, Jane’s original is on the left, the model in the center and my
Jane is on the right. Look at the areas
inside the ridiculously bright green ovals.
In the original and the model, there’s a fruit at the bottom and two
good-sized leaves at the top, but on mine, there’s a fruit at the bottom with
little leaves attached to it and a second fruit at the top - definitely not the same!
(end of added bit)
Haven’t
shown the entirety for a while so thought I’d share at this point. Jane measures 17 1/2 inches from the top row
of stitching to the bottom of the Lady Band - getting big!
Hope you all
get lots of stitching time this weekend!
>^..^<
Deb, that is gorgeous! I guess it's always a quandry whether to follow a reproduction exactly as the original or adjust to our sense of symetry/consistency. Whatever, you are doing a marvelous job!
ReplyDeleteMy eyes are now crossed trying to find the difference in the two sides! The only thing I found was the outside middle on left but it just looks like a few leaves were left off? This is a stunner for sure, so much work outside of most stitchers' comfort zone. Fabulous work.
ReplyDeleteSO aggravating when the chart and directions don't match the original sampler or the stitched model--but your work is beautiful and, quite frankly, no one will ever know. Except your readers and we'll never tell . . .
ReplyDeleteJane is looking stunning whichever version you are following!
ReplyDeleteIt takes me a while. Sometimes days. But ridiculously bright green ovals have made me see the light. I've noticed this on a few charts over the years and always wondered if the model stitcher made an error or the chart was changed later.
ReplyDeleteThis is truly stunning!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm in awe every time I see just how huge this sampler is, Deb! It looks fabulous and I know you will enjoy making it "yours" no matter if you follow the chart or do your own thing. Really an impressive piece of needlart!!
ReplyDeleteWow, it's lovely no matter what! I'm so impressed, you're stitching is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, what a masterpiece! Refresh my memory -- is this from Scarlet Letter? I know there are charts of hers where the charts don't match the piece or the model. Very frustrating indeed! But you're doing a beautiful job!
ReplyDelete