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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Hannah Thornbush begins

Though the instructions for the first two bands for Hannah Thornbush were posted last Monday, I didn't actually put the first stitches in until Thursday.

Part of the delay was due to a dilemma about mounting this on my scroll rods. The rods don't have the old twill tape on them - just velcro, which means I needed to put the corresponding velcro hooks on my fabric. I'm going to need to cut off the first (and last) half-inch when I'm done to get rid of the adhesive from the velcro tape. I usually take this into account when I have my fabric cut, and allow for a 4" margin at top and bottom. This is one of the pitfalls of a kit. I can't predetermine the fabric margin.

Ok, so what do the instructions say? The first line says to start stitching 2-1/4" from the top of the fabric. If I used the velcro, I'd have less than a 2" margin at top and bottom!

I didn't like this scenario. So, I decided to make extensions on to my ground fabric. I found a piece of Aida cloth that I knew I wouldn't use for anything else. After tacking it to my linen with a line herringbone stitch in a sturdy linen thread, I had an extra 6" margin at the top and bottom. I put the velcro on the Aida, and when I'm done I'll just cut out the tacking stitches, so my linen will still have its full margin. This photo shows the join, as well as my start on band 1.

Some comments were posted to the class list about the difficulty of framing with such a small margin. The teacher/designer (Margriet Hogue of The Essamplaire) wrote back that she'll be providing instructions for hemstitching the border of the sampler. The hemstitched sampler can then be mounted for framing, and a large fabric border won't be needed. I'll decide when I get there if that's what I want to do.

Last week I promised a picture of the kit contents. The colors are lovely. The silks are all either loose Soie d'Alger or Soie de Paris spools. I've never used Soie de Paris before. It's a bit thinner and has much more shine than most other stranded silks. It almost feels like rayon, but it seems to handle a bit better.

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Erin update: Our 4-month pediatrics appointment was last week. She's up to 12.5 pounds, and 22.5" long. Relative to other (non-preemie) 4 month olds, she's in the 15th percentile for height, 30th for weight, and 50th (i.e. average) for head circumference. She's catching up! Just two months ago, she was at 5th, 10th, and 25th percentile for those same metrics.

Her hip procedure is scheduled for July 2, first thing in the morning. We're praying for a first-time fix!

Our most recent pictures are from her christening this past Sunday. You finally get to see what I look like!

8 comments:

MeganH said...

*waves hello*

(sure you've seen a photo of me by now)

Stef said...

My Hannah just arrived today and I haven't had a chance to get her on the rods yet. I love that you have attached her to extra fabric - I might try that because I'm also used to more linen all the way around. Glad Erin is doing so well and I think you all are adorable!

Donna said...

You look so happy! That's wonderful.

I've got one project that calls for Soie de Paris. I guess I will try to find a place to order it. Sounds like a good fiber.

Karoline said...

Nice start on Hannah.

Great photo of you all

Edy said...

Meaning no offence, may I say "Mazel Tov" (congratulations) on Erin Christening.
You all look fabulous! Say Hi to MIL too for me.

Front Range Stitcher said...

The colors for Hannah are beautiful, I'll enjoy watching your progress for sure. Good call on extending the margins.

Erin is such a cherub and I love seeing a photo of you. Good luck with the surgery, we're all hoping the first time will be a charm!

jdnrob said...

A wonderful family picture! You all look so happy.

wise choice on adding material, there is nothing worse than having to figure out what to do when you don't have framing material. After all the work you don't want to have to cobble it.

Joanie R.

Kathy A. said...

Oh how nice it is to see a photo of you and the precious little girl! You three look so happy~