When last I left you, I was all done with the center portion of Beth Colletti's Mother's Day stitchalong pattern and was ready to start the Pekinese stitch border - easy peasy, right?
Wrong! :) I second guessed myself about a billion times when stitching this border!
Want to know how to do the Pekinese stitch? Try this Pekinese stitch tutorial by Mary Corbet.
In which I Stitch the border a billion different ways
It started out easily enough - I back stitched the simple pink border first, then I started looping the Pekinese stitch through:
Hmph. I used 4 strands of floss on these loops and was not happy at all with my first try. The strands did not stay together well, and it took A LOT of messing with the strands to get them to look kind of neat. I know, I know, I was a beginner with this stitch, but I wanted my finish to look less messy.
So I scrapped the regular floss and picked up some DMC perle cotton:
What I liked about the perle cotton is that the strand held together much better and was less messy to work with overall. It gave a pretty, heavy braided look that I really enjoyed:
I loved it! Until about midway through...
The more I looked at it...
The more I hated it. And here's where the entirely subjective matter of taste comes in - I asked for advice on Instagram, and plenty of people loved this look. But I didn't. The color was too pink (it was the only shade I had in a thin perle) and I thought it distracted from the center portion of the design.
So I scrapped the pink perle and decided simplest was best - I stitched a chain stitch border in off white instead and I loved it!
Until I washed it. After squinting at it, I lost confidence in my decision. It's too plain, I thought, and decided to try whip stitching with a dark pink from the pattern:
As usual, I liked it about halfway through, until I didn't like it at all:
As cute as it looked, it didn't match the overall vibe of the piece - I loved the candy-striped effect of the whipped chain stitch, but I just didn't like it with this piece.
You can see what I mean here, zoomed out, perhaps. Or maybe not - maybe you like that look - and that is perfectly fine! I just didn't like it.
Now in full wacko obsessive mode, I tried another woven option, which I also loved...
Until I got all the way through, and I hated it. Sigh.
Why did I take you through all these silly twists and turns in my project? I think just to communicate that this is the creative process, and not to get discouraged when it happens to you. It happens to me, too. Not everything is perfect, you won't always be happy with your outcomes, but that's ok.
You can always take out the stitches, and try again!
I got a simple suggestion on Instagram of adding another line of chain stitch, which I did, in snow white.
And I loved it!
You know what? Not everyone loved this simple border on Instagram. Some people even took the time to tell me multiple times that they did not love it. :)
But that's okay! I realized that what I loved, someone else might not love. Another thing I realized is that all these complicated borders might look nice in a tightly framed photo, but too busy in real life.
What's more important? Real life or a photo? I choose real life. :)
This wasn't always my choice! As evidence I have tons of half-finished projects (or finished) tucked away in crates in my closet.
What was most important to me in the past was the finished product for the blog and the internet. But I see now that that's a stitching life half-lived.
From now on, the most important thing to me is how useful and lovely an item can be in real life.
I realized how few embroidered gifts I have given away lately and how few I have given to my mom, who has always encouraged me and loved every item I have ever finished.
Into her hands it went, and I was joyful when I saw the joy on her face.
My mom, the most beautiful woman I've ever met, and the woman who showed me the way I want to live, with her energy, her faith, and her determination to stick it out, do her best and never give up. Her life taught me wisdom and kindness, and I am so happy and proud that's she's my mom.
Stitch along with Beth Colletti
If you love this pattern, Mother's Day may have passed but you can still stitch along with Beth - purchase the pattern in her store and follow her on Instagram @bethcolletti to find all the helpful videos Beth made to walk you though each step!Thank you to Beth for designing this lovely pattern and stitchalong at just the right time - it was perfect for my mom, and I know it can be the perfect gift for so many of you out there too, for whoever speaks wisdom and kindness in your life!
Previous post: http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2019/05/project-month-stitchalong-with-beth.html
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