In order to make this Needledeeva canvas fit into the box I have I needed to add a border. I had originally planned to use a straight stitch, Medieval Mosaic. I changed that to Triple Diagonal Parisian because the thread I chose, JL Walsh silk/wool, is no longer made.
I decided to use the end of a lovely skein of red. I realized the amount of thread I had was very close to what I needed. When I found more thread it would be a different dyelot. I made decisions about the border based on that.
Divide the Border
My first decision was to use lapped borders, so that the short and long sides could be isolated. As you can see from the picture I stitched and completed the short sides. Isolating the longer sides gave me options for stitching them.
Symmetry or Not?
One option I considered was to make one side of the border in a different dyelot. This would create an obvious difference between that side and the other sides. Its a solution you will often see in older quilts that were made from scraps of leftover fabric. While I like this in quilts and scrap bag projects, here I think it would bring too much attention to the odd side and detract from the lovely poppy.
In order to keep the focus on the center, my solution will have to be symmetrical. Both long sides will need to be treated the same way. Because I had not completed either side I can do this. But the sides will need to look the same.
I’ve accomplished this by making sure that the rows on both sides are placed the same. I started stitching from the outside of the border and worked in towards the center.
I reinforced the symmetry by stitching the same number of rows in the original dyelot on both sides. There will be three rows. One side is complete, the other is in progress. The remaining two rows can be stitched in the new dyelot, the old dyelot, or split between the two.
In order to accomplish this I will stitch a row on one side, then the row on the other side. By doing this I will have solved my dyelot problem and still kept the focus on the poppy and the border symmetrical.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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