Australian_Homespun_2016_07_

Finishing

10

When the embroidery is

complete, put it face down

on a thick, clean towel and press

it lightly from the wrong side to

avoid fl attening the stitches.

11

Using a ruler and fabric marker,

rule a horizontal line^3 ⁄ 4 in above

the uppermost stitched red line of

the upper border. Mark a second

horizontal line^3 ⁄ 4 in below the lowest

stitched red line of the lower border.

Trim the stitchery along the marked

lines. It should now measure about

101 ⁄ 2 in high by 13in wide. If your

stitch tension is tight, it may be

a little smaller, but this is not

important.

12

With right sides together and

a^1 ⁄ 4 in seam, sew a 3 x 13in red

tone-on-tone strip to the top and

bottom edges of the stitchery. Press

the seams away from the stitchery,

again resting it face down on a thick

towel as you do so.

13

To fi nish, back the project

with thin batting and lace

it around the backing board of the

frame, referring to Diagram 1. Insert

it in the frame, minus any glass,

and fasten the clips at the back.

An additional sheet of cardboard can

be used to neaten the back if desired.

14

As an alternative to framing,

Melissa suggests adding a

fabric backing and binding to make

it into a wallhanging.

For contact details for Melissa Grant,

of One Day in May, Creations by Melissa

Grant, turn to Stockists at the back

of the magazine.

Bottom border

Diagram 1

Melissa has thread and transfer packs available for this project. Containing an iron-on transfer of the design (so you won’t have to trace it

from the Pattern Sheet) and thread pack with the required four skeins of Cottage Garden Thread and 5m of Au Papillon Fil D’Or – Medium Gold

thread, it can be mail ordered for $34.50 (Australia), $37 (NZ) or $39.50 (elsewhere) including P&H from http://www.onedayinmay.com.au/shop.

MELISSA’S

CONTINUITY TIP

At the end of the day, I like

to leave my work with a fully

threaded needle and the first

few stitches of the next section

sewn. Next time, it’s so easy to

pick up my project and begin

stitching and I always know

exactly where I left the needle.

MELISSA’S

THREAD TIP

In smaller projects, I like to

use a single strand of thread to

embroider the outline of a face,

facial features, hands, arms and

the like. I use two strands in

surrounding areas like the hair,

clothing, shoes and objects.

A single strand gives a lighter,

more delicate look, helping to

show the softness of the skin

and diff erentiating between it

and the surrounding elements.

It allows for fine and accurate

detail when stitching the shape

of a face, mouth or eyes too.

MELISSA’S

VARIEGATED

THREAD TIP

When stitching with variegated

thread, use the darker sections

to embroider eyes. Noses,

ears, mouths and the outline

of a face can appear softer or

kinder when stitched with the

lighter sections of the thread.

I also like to use the darker

section for animal noses.

06

PROJECT