I used to stitch a lot of Mill Hill buttoned and beaded kits, mainly for gifts at Christmas. I loved how the beads buttons would add so much life to the stitching, giving it an extra layer of beauty.
While I got away from them for a few years, I've recently picked up a few of their newer kits. I stopped using the perforated paper, and instead use 32 ct fabric that I have on hand. Luckily, for this wintery scene, I had a leftover piece of (what I think is) Dusk from PtP. It was almost an exact match for the perforated paper that came with the kit!
I know we're all desperate for spring, warmer weather, and sunshine, so this winter scene probably makes most of you want to run for the hills. I started this while it was still frigid out, and messed up BAD with the colors. Since this is a kit, they give you all the thread, but they're not numbered. I told myself I should go into my DMC stash and match the threads so I knew the difference between "very, very dark", "very dark", and "dark" blue. But.....I didn't, and had almost half of this stitched before I realized my mistake. I had to rip it all out and start over, this time, making the effort to match up the colors with my stash.
And that's my story about how I finished a winter piece in spring.
The beads always take longer than I anticipate. I think because you have to stop at each half stitch and attach a bead, rather than just keep right on moving down the line with stitching.
Well worth the effort, though.
All of these are tiny beads, attached with a cross stitch so they lay upright on the fabric as opposed to on an angle.
Looking at this, I can almost hear the church bells in the background as the snow falls over the town, the moonlight glistening on the snow. A quiet night with hot cocoa or tea warm in your mug as you settle in with stitching or a good book :)
I have a frame for this piece, so hopefully I can set aside some time to frame this prior to next winter. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Happy stitching!
