Walls for the wind and a roof for the rain and drinks beside the fire ~
laughter to cheer you and those you love near you and all that your heart desires.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Ok, it`s official...

I think I have start-itis. I had to be stitching on something christsmas-y this month, and as we are going to be travelling for the holidays, I needed something on a larger count fabric and with easy stitches, and to me, anyway, Scottish samplers are about as Christmas-y as an antique repro can get. So, I started this from The Essamplaire:


I am stitching the one on the left first. I am going to do something completely different with this one...I am changing the green floss from the recommended 319 to 937. I am doing it on 28 ct white linen and after it`s stitched, i`m going to tea dye it. Yep, I did say after it`s stitched! I changed the green because the 319 is very dark, and it might look black after I dye it. I want to soften the whole look of the sampler, so tea (and possibly coffee too) should do that nicely. Also, since i`m going to be travelling with this, unless a disaster occurs, I don`t have to worry about the white linen getting grubby. I`ll let you know how this works out! Has anyone else dyed a sampler after it was stitched? Let me know in the comments please!

Merry Christmas everyone, and keep stitching ladies!


9 comments:

Krista said...

Wow, MJ, those samplers look amazing! I can't wait to see your progress on them. I have never done any dyeing, you are brave, just the thought makes me nervous! Are you also on fb in the Sampler World group? I know someone recently dyed their Mary Wigham after finishing it and it took really well, even the whites looked quite bright after. I think she posted it about 2-3 weeks ago? Have a wonderful holiday!

~mj~ said...

Yes, I am a member of Sampler World, as Mj Stitches. I`ll have to go look. Thanks for the heads up!

Samplers, Silks and Linens said...

i've had my eye on this one for quite a while - am so happy to see it being stitched up - i think the tea dye after its finished sounds like a great idea - why dont you try dyeing a sample of threads you will be using first to see how it will look - good luck.

Giovanna said...

Those are lovely samplers - enjoy!

Annie Beez said...

No I've never tea dyed a project after-are you crazy! Ha ha! Just kidding! Are you going to let the tea water cool first and then toss it in there so the colors won't run? Can't wait to see this!

~mj~ said...

I washed the threads in hot soapy water and rinsed them and they didn`t run, so I have my fingers crossed I can dye it in hot tea without it running. That`s my hope, anyway!

Nicola said...

I have but not through choice. When I was three quarters of the way through Dutch Beauty a mug of tea was spilt over it. A mad dash to the sink did not remove the stains totally, after several rinses and many tears it had not improved so I decided to finish stitching it. Then I rinsed it in the bath with tea and hey presto it worked the whole sampler looked as if it was stitched on vintage linen. I even won a first prize with it and no one has ever noticed anything amiss.

Anonymous said...

I've tea dyed before. One one project when the fabric was almost dry I sprinkled instant coffee here and there. That left some interesting marks. Tried it first when the fabric was first wet but the coffee disolved. Maria S.

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

I've only tea-dyed before stitching (fruit teas make the fabric smell lovely). I've seen other people dye after stitching, especially primitive style designs.

Good Luck!