Happy dance! Threads are clipped and bars are wrapped!

The spring equinox over the weekend had the world in perfect alignment and all you stitchers were guiding my hands! Those hardanger pieces I stitched while on the train last month are now done. Well almost- I have to sew the 14 beads on each of them but they are washed and pressed and look great to my uncritical eyes.

I did the 'practice piece' first and now these three pieces are the first ones I've done. I did research a lot on the net first, before I got out my special scissors. Some of the web sites say to clip two threads at a time, others say to do all four in a 'set' at once. All did say to clip from the back on the right hand side.

I started clipping two threads at first, but then it seemed to work very well with all four at once. The practice piece showed me I needed to lean the scissors away from the satin stitches (Kloster blocks) as I cut as I cut a fiber or two of those perle threads with the scissors straight up or perpendicular to the fabric.

The spring equinox this past weekend had the world in alignment and all stitchers from rctn guided my hand and those hardanger pieces I stitched on the train trip arel done. Well almost - I have to sew 14 heart beads on each of the two bell pulls. But those two and a leftover piece of the fabric that I made into a practice piece are done, hemmed, washed and pressed! And from my not too cricical eye, they look good.

These pieces are the first of this style of work I have completed. The Christmas ornaments of Hardanger had no bars to wrap, just holes to cut out. I did quite a bit of reading on the net before I plunged in. Some of the sites said to cut two threads at once, others said all four of a 'set' at one stroke. All agreed to cut from the back and at the right hand side. I started with two threads and found that four at once worked very well. I did find from the practice piece, I needed to slant the scissors away from the satin stitches (Kloster blocks). Using them vertical, I'd managed to cut a couple of fibers of the pearle thread.

I've barely gotten into reading Hardanger instructions. Knitting, crocheting, I can translate, cross stitch is getting better. But Hardanger is a different language. One of those cases of just plunging in and doing one step at a time. The sentence: " Continue cutting, weaving and spokes with #8 pearle thread" did not make a complete instruction at first. But that is all there was, so onward.

Sure feels good to have them done and now I can go back to work on those Superstition Mountains! About 2/3 done and is calling--

-- Barbara T

WIP: Superstition Mountains by Jean Lanning, Misc Christmas ornaments - all 17 done!

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