This is my progress on the ‘Sleepy Village’ cross stitch design produced by Heritage Crafts, from original watercolours by John Clayton.
The buildings were great fun to stitch – especially after what seemed like years of stitching all that sky!! Some of the buildings and trees are stitched in just one strand, so it gives a good feeling of perspective. I really like that about John Clayton’s designs – they aren’t actually difficult, but very cleverly designed so that they look like they’re more difficult than they are really 🙂
The sky had quite a bit of confetti stitching in it, but the buildings were quicker to do, with blocks of colour. Limited backstitch helped define the edges of the buildings, and the branches of some trees too.
So, I cracked on with it, and got it finished without taking more pictures (sorry!). But then I hit a snag. I ‘d bought a picture fame and a circular mount made specially to be used with these John Clayton ‘Circles’ pictures, so I’d assumed it would fit. But when I put the finished stitching behind the mount (having taken it off my frame, ironed it, and put the frame away….) I found that the stitching was too small for the mount, and that I could see white fabric all the way round the edge, just a tiny bit. How annoying!!
So, I put it back on the frame, and stitched two whole extra rows around the edge of the design, matching the colours as much as I could. Then I tried the mount again – this time, it fitted! I don’t think the mount was cut wrongly – I think my fabric wasn’t quite an accurate ’28 count’, which sometimes happens.
Still, I got it framed eventually, and now it looks like this:
I’m really pleased with it!!
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Janet Granger's Blog 
It looks perfect. No one could know -only you. Very pretty scene.
Thank you – yes, it is a very pretty scene.
It looks lovely. Did you lace it at the back? And as you say that some elements use one thread only did you do the picture on 28 or 14?
Yes, I always lace my stitching at the back. I used 28 count linen, as I don’t really like stitching on Aida, as it can be stiff to work with, and the half stitches would be more fiddly to do than on linen.
What I meant is whether your crosses were on 28 or did you go over two threads and turned into a 14 ct? I am interested because I wonder if one thread used at times fully covered the fabric. It would for crosses on 28 ct.
I stitched it 2 over 2, so making a 28 count linen into 14 count. One thread doesn’t fully cover the fabric, but that is the effect that is needed – for instance, it gives a feeling of perspective in the sky, as one shade of blue used as 2 strands for some stitches and then one for others kind of fades into the distance. It’s a clever, but easy, way of dealing with perspective.
I agree with you about the stiffness of modern AIDA. I have some ecru AIDA which is about 60 years old from my school days, which is very very soft. I guess a lot of starch is used now, even on some linens. I have used it for a number of things.
Yes, I’ve got some Aida that must be about 40 years old, and it is much softer than the stuff they sell these days.
This is really lovely. It looks perfect in that frame.
emjay
Thank you. I was really pleased with the frame, once I’d got the mount to work!
Simply a beautiful scene