Just a brief progress report on my current “15 Minute” project, this micro rendition of the Cluny tapestry “Sense of Hearing,” designed by Bobbie Schoonmaker of microStitchery.
Admittedly, I’ve gotten in a LOT more then just 15 minutes here and there this week – with snow days, sick days and so forth. I didn’t realize how much I actually stitched on this over the past week until I took photos!
You’ll have to excuse all the superfluous threads poking about hear and there – those are started threads that haven’t been finished, or they are waste knots. They tend to make the piece look particularly messy!
OK – this is the thing! And golly, I love it when this happens. (Not really!) Somewhere, in the left third of the bottom section, somewhere around the sitting dog, I made a counting mistake, and the left side of the piece is now 3 threads off. As I finished the lower section, I was able to work out the problem by compensating in the placement of the background flowers. The problem shows up more with the figures and the foliage around them. Oh, the figures work out ok. But the foliage extends three threads farther past the left side of the piece. I could reshape the foliage or eliminate the last couple stitches. But I’m not going to.
Instead, I’ll extend the burgundy border on each side of the piece by four stitches (to balance each side), and then compensate in the small background flowers as I need to.
It’s somewhat maddening, this kind of mistake, but to me, it’s not a “big deal.” In fact, when I realized it, I thought it was kind of a fun mistake, because it gives me the opportunity to personalize the design a little. This is the kind of design that, as long as the figures are right, and the background is slightly adjusted so that things don’t bump into each other, no one will know the difference (except maybe me, the designer, and now you!).
My favorite part to stitch so far is the base of the lady’s robe or dress here. I love the fabric details.
The lion overall makes me laugh. He’s elongated and his face looks like a Sad Moustache Man.
To give you a sense of size, I photographed it over a cutting mat marked in one-inch increments.
Though I don’t often do counted work, I have to admit that I really love this project. (I think I say this every time I give you an update!). The tiny stitching and the subject matter (I’ve always loved these tapestries) are what initially sold me on the project. And gosh, I’d love to see the other four tapestries designed for silk gauze. Bobbi has two so far – the Sense of Hearing and the Sense of Taste. I don’t know if she is planning the others or not. I’d especially love to see the sixth tapestry charted for 40 count or higher gauze:
Ahhhhh. Yes. I’d snatch that one up in no time flat.
If you’d like to learn a little more about the Cluny tapestries and see images of them, you can visit the Musée du Moyen Age online. There’s a section devoted to the six “Lady and the Unicorn” tapestries, where you can read about each one and see a little bit of them.
I hope you enjoy your weekend and that you get a bit of stitching in! See you Monday!
