Big Steps and Tiny Stitches....

Tales of Gold and Glue.....

Have I mentioned, Dear Readers, that I am in Love with making these Petit-point Pillows? I decided to make another one just like the Kit from Janet Granger, only I didn't have any more of the right cloth. So I am using some cloth that is 28 count "Monaco" Needlework cloth.... which I bought a long time ago to use for needlepoint stitching.... because I don't know what I am looking for in the stores or on-line! (I have a lot to learn!) It has a denser weave than the canvas that came in the kit... so the holes are a little bit tighter... but it is working out quite well! I have also decided to experiment with a different background color... and this blue looked just right to me! It is not done yet because I decided to work more on the bed-curtains for the Tree House... I know, I said they were done.... but then I remembered that I wanted to add some Gold thread to the embroidery....

Can you see the delicate glittery stitches woven into the pattern on the left hand curtain? And then I had to add the leaves to the vine.... because if you remember, there are gold vines growing up the ceiling in the Tree House Bedroom too! It was that which made me realize I had to add the gold to these curtains!

Here, I have searched out an old picture 

to remind you of the Tree House Bedroom ceiling.....

I stitched the gold with some gold metallic sewing thread

 that I bought many years ago. 

It was relatively easy to sew with 

and has the right amount of glitter!

Here you can see the gold leaves are done on the first curtain.

But the "Big Steps" I was referring to were all

 about the construction of Hardwick Hall.

The construction of this kit is quite intricate 

and there are some steps that you think the pieces 

cannot possibly fit like they say they should!

The Mansard roof cornice is one of those pieces!

It is a section of the roof that fits around the dormer 

and overlaps the tops of the walls, 

and forms the base of the mansard roof itself.

The instructions say you will have to "twist" the piece

 to fit over the tab at the top of the front wall 

while at the same time sliding it into 

the cutout grooves in the roof framework.

As with many of the trim pieces on this kit, it is built up of layers,

 and it is tricky to decide when to paint which part! 

Because the underside of this trim piece is the one that will be visible, 

I painted it with all the layers of silver paint, 

while leaving the top side just coated with the primer, 

because it would be covered by the trim layer.

If you look closely in this picture 

at the top of the wall at the corner there is a tab....

 when the cornice is pushed all the way into place

 this tab fits into a slot, locking it in place!

It wouldn't "slide" into place, Dear Readers, I had to use a hammer!

And that was even after I had widened most of the slots 

that it needed to slide into!

But eventually it did fit!

And the other side too!

And then it was time to glue on the trim layer....

This layer I only painted the top side 

as that was the one which would be visible.... 

and here you can see it being glued 

with my trusty "clamps" holding it in place!

And while I was adding roof trim pieces....

I added the roof trim to the Kitchen bay window....

And the Parlor bay window.

It is amazing what a difference the trim makes!

It starts to look so "Finished"! 

And it feels like such a Big step 

to be finally working on the Roof of this Kit!

And as for the Tiny Stitches.... 

here you can see that I "finished"

 the gold stitching on both the Tiny Curtains!

(Poke the picture to make it larger!)

And even though I thought I was done 

with the embroidery on these curtains... 

I remembered that I want to make 

a layer of "ground" at the bottoms....

So there will have to be more stitching! 

So you can see Dear Readers, 

it was either Tiny Stitches or Big Steps 

But it was All about the Gold and the Glue!