Project a Month - Lolli and Grace

Do you ever come across a pattern that is so perfect, so beautiful to you, that you say to yourself immediately, I need to stitch that, and I need to stitch it exactly as it is, no alterations needed? For me, that is rare - because one of the fun things about stitching is the chance to make a project truly your own by tweaking the colors, changing the fabric, etc.

But the second I saw this One Meaningful Word pattern by Lolli and Grace, I knew I wanted to stitch it just as she did - I needed that pattern!

I mean, look at her stitching - all the bright colors, the green fabric, it's just an explosion of color in a way that is just perfect for me:

I particularly love Anne's Youtube video with detailed instructions of how to do the satin stitch portions. This video changed my satin stitch forever!


I HATE and dread satin stitch in general. I almost didn't stitch this pattern, because it was mostly satin stitch. But Anne's video truly made the difference for me - I learn best by watching someone else stitch. And Anne's directions are wonderful. I also love how no-pressure her style is, and that as lovely as her stitching is, she embraces imperfection and says there is no one right way to stitch anything.

Lolli and Grace also sells kits, with everything you need to stitch this pattern, but considering the fact that I now own every color of DMC floss, AND had just bought a stack of cotton fat quarters, with one in lime green, I thought, surely I can do this without a kit!

So I purchased the pattern, and did a MARATHON evening of tracing. I did a real meh job of tracing, because I couldn't see too well, but I decided not to care and proceeded forward, anyway!

Here is my first attempt at satin stitching, using 4 strands of floss. Not too impressive. I found that for me in particular, it was hard to control 4 strands of floss, so I tried again, on the right, with just 2 strands:

Maybe it's just me but I think it lays much flatter and looks better than my first attempt. So I restitched the other side, and decided to tackle all the satin stitch with just 2 strands.

Looking at my finished first flower, I was completely blown away by how nice it was looking:

Perfectionists, look elsewhere! But for me, this was such a leap in my abilities and confidence, and again, it was Anne's video that helped me most.

With my confidence boosted, I proceeded to tackle the rest of the flowers!

I do think using 2 strands on these long petals did change the look a tiny bit, but I still think they look pretty good.

It's hard to stop staring at this project - the colors are just so lovely and the gleam of the floss looks so nice when stitched this way!

Next I tackled the orange and pink flower - it's not identical it Anne's because of my wonky trace job, but I still like it.

Currently, I am stitching leaves. Instead of satin stitch, I am doing something more like fishbone stitch for the leaves - because I love the texture and center line it creates.

Thoughts so far on this pattern

I am LOVING this project! I can't believe my perspective has changed so dramatically on a stitch I used to hate so much.

I thoroughly recommend this pattern, if you'd like to stitch along with me, you can find it in Anne's Etsy shop: One Meaningful Word pattern. the instructions are very precise, the colors are delicious, and Anne is a joy to work with!

 

Satin Stitch - Love it or Hate It?

What do you think about satin stitch? Is it on your hated list? What is your least favorite stitch, that you'd like to improve?