Threads of a Different Color...

 

 

Stitching....

It has been a while, Dear Readers, since I showed you any progress on the beautiful antique carpet project. Above you can see the borders nearly completed. I was only about half way through stitching this project when I began to be worried that I would not have enough thread, especially of the dark maroon and the brighter red. So I began to be very careful how I stitched the patterns, wasting as little thread as possible, stitching down to the very tiniest ends possible of my threads, even not using knots but just pulling the thread carefully to the end before stitching back over a few stitches... all in the hopes that I would not run out of thread with only ten stitches left in the end! With the dark maroon there were a couple of places where the pattern needed three stitches of maroon way across the border, which would waste an inch and a half of thread each time... so I left those for last, thinking that if I had enough thread in the end, I could add them later. I did not have enough of the maroon for those little bits, but I did, just barely get those narrow borders completed! There was about 1" of threat left over. I used the blue and yellow and changed the pattern in tiny ways to make up for the missing maroon stitches. But when it came to the brighter red, I was even more afraid of running out. And the border had those large areas (I think they are turtles) which needed to be all done with the same color... no substituting possible! Once again, I stitched so So carefully... even working the pattern symmetrically in from the outer edges...

I would see just how far the remaining red thread would go...

I would just be happy if there was enough to finish both the turtles!

Which, Thankfully, there was!

There was even enough to just finish the center turtle too.

But that was it.

I ran out of red and the pattern still had unstitched stitches

 that really Really needed to be red.

And it needed to be a wool thread. 

And close enough in color to maybe pass as "the" red...

Did I have anything like it left from any of my other stitching....?

Well, gosh... it looks awfully close! 

I maybe couldn't find a better one if I searched for ages...!

So I bravely stitched the rest of the pattern in this leftover thread!

I know it is not quite a perfect match...

But it works for me!

Then it was just a matter of finishing the background

 in that glorious midnight blue...

Which I am pretty sure I have enough of...

And yes, the border is done!

 And I hope (believe) I still have enough left

 to do the binding on the two long sides.

I plan to add the fringe to the short edges.

I am just so happy to be able to see this carpet nearly done... 

and at the same time, I really wish I had another like it to stitch...

 what a beautiful pattern!

And I also finished stitching the Elephant Tea Cozy, Dear Readers,

Another really fun kit from Janet Granger.

The elephant is the same on both sides except for his tail!

I just love his cheerful blanket.. or saddle...

and as I was finishing this, 

my eye caught on some threads I had bought a while ago,

 just on impulse... metallic embroidery threads in all colors of the rainbow!

And I wondered how it would look if I added

 a few glittering stitches on top of the stitched pattern...

Just in certain parts, over red stitches....

Can you even see the glittery effect in the upper elephant?

The upper one has the glitter thread added... the lower one doesn't...

But I like the effect, so I added it to the other one too!

Of course, glitter is hard to photograph.

You will have to take my word for it Dear Readers,

 it added a really fun sparkle to this Tea Cozy!

I have been having fun with these 

Threads of a Different Color!