Come Stitch with Me – Name & Date Block

The last thing to do on your sampler is to sign and date it, which I finished last night.

I modified my initials to make them into a monogram using this alphabet, Bungalow, which I designed several years ago. (Click on the picture to get the full-size graph to print.)

Then I used the Bungalow numbers to add the date. I put one thread between the numbers, making the date 21 threads wide. Since the block is 28 threads wide, I went in four threads and up two threads to add the date. (Click on the picture to get the full-size graph to print.)

Next your need to center your name above the date. Because the date is symmetrical the open thread between the zeroes is the center. I found the middle of my initials (also easy, it’s the top of the M) and started to stitch there, deciding to have a good bit of space between the initials and the date.

Once this was all stitched I added the background, Woven Plait. This is a fun stitch and great for overdyed threads. One caution though, decide on a method of stitching and do the entire area that way. This is a stitch where the coverage on the back can make the stitch look different on the front, as I learned once to my despair and had to rip out most of a background.

One final note, the background is Waterlilies in the same shade as the Watercolours in the T — it just goes to show you how different threads and dyelots can be in a hand-dyed thread. I would never have guessed until I looked at the tag.

Here’s a rundown of the sampler so far:

• Marking the canvas
• C
• E
• L
• E
• B
• R
• A
• T
• E
• Exclamation Point
• Star
• Sign & Date