Thursday, February 4, 2016

Brer Rabbit Petit Point Cushion...4,290 stitches!


                                                                                 


 I have always loved William Morris designs. One of my favorites is Brer Rabbit. So when I saw Nicola Mascall's chart on #56 canvas I thought I would try it.

I have no where to buy the right weight silk threads for this size canvas locally. I wanted colors that might look good with the Aunt Olga petit point carpet I stitched. So I chose some silk threads from a needle point shop here. I hate ordering colors online. They never look the way they did on my screen. 

The threads were slightly too heavy, which made stitching this a real chore. Still... I think it worked out in the end. Luckily I had matching silk fabric for the back of the cushion. It looks great on the antique rose color chairs I made.






60 comments:

  1. That is wonderful Catherine.....a really pretty cushion. X

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  2. Stunning work! Your eyes now deserve a vacation ;)

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    1. My eyes are already busy on the next one. Thank you. X

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  3. Beautiful stitching! I love William Morris patterns... he was a genius with pattern!!! Your work is always of the highest caliber and this is no exception!

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    1. Awww thank you. Yes William Morris was a very special designer, genius as you said.

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  4. Stunning!
    Hugs,
    Karen B. ~ Todolwen

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  5. Oh wow this is fabulous! So tiny, I keep looking at my hand..... Perfectly stitched---

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  6. Thank you Linda. I must start designing my own though.

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    1. Thank you. I had a visit over to your blog. Since you do not seem to be a dollhouse miniature collector, I am curious about how you found me.

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    2. Oh, but she is Catherine! I don't know which blog you visited ;-) http://kleinevingers.blogspot.nl

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    3. Thank you Josje. I will go there right now. :-)

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  8. Hello Catherine,
    That is gorgeous. I am in awe of your perfect needlework! Well done.
    Big hug
    Giac

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  9. That is so pretty Catherine! And a lot of stichtes... And I'm sure it wasn't easy, not to begin with, but especially because of the thicker thread, but you've done very well! Lovely design too.

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    1. Thank you Monique. as you see I have been busy.
      I do love the design but there were others that I wanted to do more. I just thought in this count I should say with four colors to start with.

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  10. Magnificent!!! So gentle, soooo many stitches! Wishing good health to your eyes! :-)

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  11. Hi Catherine, maybe it was a little extra hard work than anticipated but the result is well worth it, you should be so proud to have created this little treasure :)

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    1. Thank you Tony. It was a struggle with that heavy thread.

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  12. Hi Catherine, another gorgeous bit of embroidery! Love the blue colors and the pattern. William Morris is also one of my favorite designers. As it happens, I am also stitching Brer Rabbit. In green. It is slightly different from yours in that it has an extra bit of pattern at the top and some at the sides. It is supposed to be for a fire screen. It is taking FOR-E-VER! I have only done the top bit so far (the bit you don't have in your design). Although I do like embroidery, I don't like counting the pattern, so freehand work would be more my thing I think.
    Did the download the pattern? As mine came as a kit complete with threads. Although your thread may have been difficult to work, I do like that it looks full, if you know what I mean. It gives it a warm and cosy feel somehow. Mine seems to look a bit flatter.

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  13. Hi Josje,

    Thank you!

    I assume you also got your chart/kit from Nicola Mascall. I only ordered the chart from her because I wanted to use blues. Also I do not stitch in half cross I use a tent stitch because I like the coverage better. I tried half cross on the first attempt at the Aunt Olga carpet and I could see through the piece. When I started it again I didn't use half-cross. Tent stitching uses more thread which is why you get better coverage. Not that I needed it with this cushion due to the weight of the silk I had to use.

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    1. BTW Josje... I HATE counting too. I made myself get over it when I wanted that Aunt Olga carpet. At first it drove me insane!!! Amazing what you can do when you are the only way of getting the miniature you want!

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    2. Yes, it is a Nicola Mascall kit. I am using half cross stitch and it covers quite well with the thread from the kit. But like I said, it is not as full as yours.
      The counting...I really think I will not start another piece like this. I can hardly see the holes, even with a reading glasses plus a magnifier lamp and then the constant getting back to the chart... not my thing at all. I cannot imagine stitching a whole carpet like you did. However much I like
      -no, love- the look of it, it is not going to happen ;-)

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  14. Really beautiful needlework!
    Geneviève

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  15. It's beautiful. I certainly can't tell that the thread is a bit thick. Well done!

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    1. Thank you. I hoped it would look OK when it was finished.

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  16. Your cushion is gorgeous. I'm sure you must use a good magnifier. Or have you got exceptional eyes? You've also done a beautiful job making it up. That can be harder than the stitching, I find.
    Cheers, LInda

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  17. Thank you Linda for your kind comment.

    My eyes are great thanks to a laser! If I hadn't had them fixed I would be actually blind now.

    The finishing was really the fun part for me. ;-)

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  18. Hi Catherine! I thought that I had left you a comment, but I guess I must be losing my mind... ?
    Anyway, I just wanted to say that your little cushion is Really lovely. I have a fondness for "Brer Rabbit" stories but I never realized that William Morris did too! :))

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    1. Thank you Elizabeth. I don't know anything about the Brer Rabbit stories at all. I have heard of the book though.

      I saw someone wallpapered their Welsh cottage with the William Morris red version of this design in Pinterest. I just loved it. It was just the perfect choice for that cottage living room.

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  19. Your cushion is just perfect Catherine! I am another fan of William Morris designs. I also like a thicker coverage but prefer full cross stitch as it doesn't pull your stitching skew as tent stitch does and looks great on symetrical patterns.

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  20. Thank you Elga. I am sure you are right about full cross stitch. Unfortunately that wasn't possible with such heavey thread this time.

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  21. It's absolutely lovely, the colour is so beautiful and it looks so full and soft even if you say it is a bit stiff. Will you show it on the chair ? thank you very much
    Rosanna

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  22. Thank you Rosanna. Yes of course I will photograph it on my chair.
    It isn't stiff it is just very full.

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  23. That is gorgeous Catherine! I wish I had the time to do something like that!! One day - maybe!

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  24. Superbe! J'adore les dessins de William Morris! Ces petits lapins rendent vraiment très bien avec la gaze de soie #56.

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  25. Je ne pense pas avoir jamais rencontré quelqu'un qui n'aime pas William Morris. Maintenant que je suis couture avec les fils de poids à droite sur la n ° 56 de la gaze, je vois que la différence. Il est certain que beaucoup plus facile. Le look est un peu différent aussi. Je ne pourrai jamais utiliser à nouveau le fil de poids mal. Il est tout simplement trop difficile.

    Thank you!

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  26. You did it again (the masterpiece)! :-D
    The shade of blue is perfect and I think that will go perfectly with your collection of porcelain...
    BTW: I am sorry that you have not received my email, but it is important that we contact. Please write to me (hunny@tiscali.it), for I have not figured out which mail address you're using now.
    Love,
    Flora

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  27. Thank you Flora. I just stitched it it is Nicola's masterpiece. I love her designs because she is the only one who offers kits in higher counts.

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  28. Hello Catherine,

    This cushion looks wonderful! And what a task it must have been to stitch something with such a tiny motif. Wow. :)

    Kind regards from Riverside,
    Nina

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  29. Thank you for leaving me your comment Nina. It isn't difficult if you use the right threads and have good light. ;-)

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  30. Hi Catherine, I have tried and tried but somehow dollhouse needlework is beyond my skill set. I don't have the eyesight for it. Beautiful work.

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    1. Thank you.
      I didn't have the eyesight for #56 until I had surgery. The daylight floor stand lamp I have makes it a lot easier too.

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