In 2020, I almost missed a special release from With Thy Needle commemorating the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower to Massachusetts. Thankfully I was able to find a copy of it, and although I started it as soon as I received it – getting it done in time for the actual landing was unrealistic. Especially for me. 🙂
The tricky part with this sampler is that when I received the kit, there were quite a few floss colors that were missing simply because of the supply chain issues of Covid time. Not a big deal though – I figured I could start it and move forward, and I’d just fill in as I could. Well… that would have been great if it hadn’t been virtually all of the overdyes I needed to start the top. (sigh) Still, I was able to piece what I could together. I tried a blue (as you’ll see below) for the Union Jack, but it’s way too dark. I’ve since found the original called-for floss and will pick my stitches out and restitch as charted. There is a mix of different floss on this piece – some Gentle Art, some Weeks, some DMC.
It also would have helped if I would have paid attention to my overdyed fabric and noticed that it was a printing, not a full dye – so the backside was solid. What did I do? Started my piece on the solid side and didn’t notice until I was far enough along to not want to start over. Not a big deal, though. It just doesn’t have some of the aged look to it. It’s perfectly fine on the back. Clearly this piece will give me a little attitude as we go forward. I don’t mind a piece with its own personality! 🙂
In any case, I’ve now moved forward nicely and have framed the top panel with the Mayflower. For now the sails of the ship don’t show up well, but they will be framed and backstitched, so will show up better. My plans for this month’s WIPGO is to get those sails framed – and also finish the last two rows of the Cape Cod board.
I have no timeframe to finish this, since I’ve already missed that anniversary. Once I get past the ship, I think this piece should move forward quickly – especially once I get down to the names of the women. I just have to get past the current block. The block is both mental and physical, but I will push through!