PLOS week 1

This last week I began my Personal Library of Stitches online class with Sharon B. and I am finding it a wonderful experience. My first online class! I chose to stitch a full length sampler as I am already working on individual stitch samples with her TAST challenge. For this sampler I chose 25 count Dublin linen as I prefer a darker background for my 'intense' samplers. I really need to take some photos of my samplers hanging in my home to share online although I do have a mixture of dark and light backgrounds. I guess it really all depends on what type of sampler I'm doing.

I have read lesson 1 several times and each time I learn something new......... well, isn't that what taking a class is all about? For the most part all the stitches were new to me. For the Guilloche stitch I began with a #5 perle in turquoise and added #5 magenta for the weaving. For the top and bottom rows as well as the French Knots I used a single strand of DMC purple rayon floss. I tried a #5 perle but found it was too heavy a line for my liking. Beside this stitch I did a variation using #5 perle in purple. Under the Guilloche stitch is another variation although it is what I have previously done and called Wrapped Running Stitch. Sharon mentioned in her notes that the Portuguese Stem Stitch is preferably done in a straight line across the fabric but that she preferred doing it up and down. So I tried it both ways. First in turquoise and then in a dark purple, both with #5 perle. In the space under my first variation I want to work this Portuguese Stem Stitch either in a circle or a wavy line to see the effect. On either side of the purple Portuguese Stem Stitch I stitched a Feather filling. On the left side in a medium dark blue Ginny Thompson Flower Thread and on the right side a pale lilac #5 perle, filling the spaces with a yellow French Knot stitched with EdMar Lola. I did not try the Chain Bar as I really haven't decided which thread or color to stitch with. But when I do it will go in the space next to the pale lilac Feather filling.

Some of the things I've learned this week:
1. Need to work on understanding color better.
2. Need to really "step out of the box" and experiment (that's why I began the TAST challenge).
3. Paler shades don't show up well on dark background in photographs.
4. Real life, face to face, my colors look well together and I am pleased with my stitching.