Lessons Learned...

Hi Everyone!

Last night I took a break after hours of model stitching and worked up a freebie called "My Friend" by Betty at http://primitivebettys.blogspot.com/.  I used a remnant piece of 32 ct. Lt. Taupe Lugana, went thru my silks and chose Crescent Colours "Wild Berries", Weeks Dye Works "Madison Rose" and a Limited Edition sage green color by The Gentle Art (no name--received it as a freebie at BushMountain's Super Bowl Sunday event), also grabbing some Mill Hill seed beads in a pale pink (#00145).  I wanted to try a finishing technique using beading that I'd seen on one of the message boards I check out for new ideas.

After stitching up the design I then backstitched an area around the design, and also backstitched the same sized "box" to use as the backing. 

Then I cut out the pieces leaving about 1/3" around and stitched the front and back together alternating one stitch with a bead and next stitch without.  It took a minute or two but then I got the hang of it and I whipped up three of the four sides.  So... lessons so far:  I love freebie designs, I love remnants and silks, I love beading and loved the way this finishing technique was coming out.  Then came the not-so-happy lesson...

I noticed the remnant had a crease so I got out the iron and decided to block the fabric before I finished stuffing and stitching... let's just say when the tag on the Crescent Colours says "not colorfast"--that's a true statement.

Yeah.  The back hurts to look at, huh?  {Insert sound effect from "Psycho" shower scene here} BUT it wasn't a total loss.  I LOVE the way the finish came out and now I learned a valuable lesson for the colorfastness of some of the silks.  You can't even tell from the front and I'll keep this as a reminder.  :)  Does anyone have any tried and true tips either for being proactive to prevent color bleeding or what to do after the fact?  No amount of running under cold water helped any so I decided not to fight it. 

On another note, I'm only a few followers away from the 3 L*K chart giveaway!  Thank you to those of you who have just started following me as well as those of you who have been here since Day 1.  I have some fun ideas of things to do within the upcoming weeks and I really appreciate all the feedback and lovely comments.

Also--congratulations to my friend Melissa L. who completed her first punchneedle piece after watching my tutorial on YouTube and then coming up to my office on her lunch break for a "make sure I'm doing this right" pep talk. :)  That's all for today...model stitching is calling my name before the weekend is over.  Have a great night and just keep stitching! ~Nicole