Sunday, February 21, 2016

Fatum is finished!

Now those are words I never though I'd get to say or type! This was one of the toughest projects I've ever worked through, not because it was technically challenging, but because it was just not appealing to me for a variety of reasons. I'll talk more about that below, but for now, enjoy some pictures! I have to admit, she looks pretty good once she's all finished...


Somewhat more detailed images of the top and bottom halves. I ended up using flat little crystals (sometimes called pailettes, at least when used on Sweetheart Tree charts!) in place of the large beads that were meant to represent stars.


And here's a detailed closeup of her face and arms, showing the beading on her dress, the netting in her hair, and best of all, the star-shaped Swarovski crystal I placed in her hands.


I made a number of changes to the pattern to compensate for things that were over the top (beads in the border, solidly stitched background) or things that I didn't like (boldly veined wings, text at the bottom, size 6 beads in the sky):

- Replaced size 6 beads with pailettes.
- Added a star in her hands.
- Used a blue fabric instead of doing the solidly stitched blue background.
- Left out the veining on the wings.
- Removed the text at the bottom (and modified the border to match).
- Removed about half of the beading in the border.
- Replaced the remaining purple beads in the border with variegated thread.
- Filled in "empty" section of her left leg with appropriate dress color.
- Fixed/smoothed backstitching and/or modified stitching to match backstitching better.

The most annoying part about this chart was the horrible backstitching. There are so many places where the backstitch doesn't make sense when you look at the stitching under it. I had to go back multiple times to add or remove stitches, or redo the backstitching, to make it look okay. You can still see a purple spot on her neck, inside where the straps of her dress cross, which I still need to fix. It's clearly not supposed to be there, since the backstitch line is charted to exclude that stitch from the "inside" area of the strap! There were little problems like that all over her skin and dress.

In addition to that, the backstitching was poorly planned and often called for piercing the exact center of an existing cross-stitch. Other times, it was impossible to stitch as charted because the stitches didn't match up with any holes in the fabric, even on linen.

Looking at the completed project, I also wonder about the dress color on her right leg (left side in the photo) and the matching dark purple nearby on her cape/wrap thing. They seem really out of place, like they should have been done in a lighter color.

Lots of complaints, I know, but I'm honestly glad to be finished with this project, even though right now it's mostly a sense of relief! I will not be buying charts from this designer in the future. I also won't be signing up for any other mystery SALs!

23 comments:

  1. Congrats on such an amazing piece! It looks beautiful :)

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  2. Well done on finally finishing her. Despite all the traumas you've had she looks beautiful.

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    1. Thanks! She really is pretty, especially those wings!

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  3. Wow well done dear
    It's so beautiful x

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  4. Congrats on finishing - even though she was a bit rough on you. I totally get having "issues" with pieces that you feel you need to fix.

    I went googling around, and I have to say, I really like your changes. Particularly the subbing of the size 6 beads and removing the "FATUM" border at the bottom.

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    1. Thanks Suz! This is a pretty pattern and I know I'll be happier with it once I give it some time. :)

      Large beads and text are two of my biggest stitching peeves. Large beads look sloppy to me, unless it's something deliberate like the star I placed in her hands. It makes me so sad to see something that's beautifully stitched but with large beads flopping over like they're wilting! And text on a piece is probably the #1 reason I'd skip over a chart I otherwise liked. It has to be tasteful and match the stitching. In my opinion, this did not... and as a mystery SAL, I didn't know there was text until it was far too late!

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  5. I think you did an amazing job! I love the addition of the crystals how did you get them to stay on?

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    1. Hi Heather, thank you!

      Are you asking about the flat silver crystals I used in place of the stars? They have one little hole in the middle like a donut, so I came up the center hole and stitched down into the fabric on the left side of the donut. Then I came up through the center again and did a matching stitch on the right side to anchor it flat.

      I used a white beading thread so it's a little hard to see against the shine of the silver in the pictures. It's a bit more obvious in real life but it still looks good!

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  6. Your changes made for a beautiful finish. The thing that surprised me most was that they would have had you filling in the background. This lovely lady needs to stand out on the fabric and be the star! Great choices!

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    1. Thank you! I totally agree on a solidly stitched background... even stitching on a plain blue fabric of a similar color would serve the same purpose and save a ton of work. The stitched background doesn't add any interest to the piece, and I think if a designer is asking a stitcher to do that much work, there has to be a purpose.

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  7. I signed up for this same SAL and still haven't finished it. I had wanted to try this designer, but I find I don't care for her designs much. I should get mine out soon and finish it.

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    1. I like the look of her designs, but when it comes down to actually stitching them, I feel like they're too big (in terms of stitch count) for the subjects chosen. This is a relatively small design for PR and I feel like it was still huge, maybe because it's so densely stitched in some areas.

      Another thing that bothered me: there were many color changes in the hair, including two colors that were so similar that I honestly couldn't tell them apart. I'm all for detail, but it has to stand out.

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  8. Hooray and Congratulations on your Happy Dance! We have "suffered" through this lovely design with you! I was put over by the extensive border when I first saw it. Your's looks gorgeous with the variegated purples.
    I love her wings, the colours you have used are perfect.
    For me, Nora Corbett and Joan Elliott's ladies have set a very high benchmark which most other designers simply cannot reach.

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    1. Thanks Jo! I don't know if I would have pushed so hard to finish if I hadn't had so many lovely comments from you and other readers. :)

      The wings are as charted (minus the backstitch) and they're my favorite part of this piece. The colors are so delicate and the use of metallic thread worked very well, especially the white on the blue fabric, which is almost translucent.

      I admit to mentally comparing this to Mirabilias as I was working on it, and wishing I was working on a Mira instead! In fact, the first thing I did after finishing this was start South Seas Mermaid and I've already made quite a dent in her! :)

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  9. This is a beautiful finish and it is totally yours. Your ideas were great and no one would ever be wise to it. Job well done.

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    1. Thank you! I'm glad I took the time to make the changes, I'm happy with how she turned out and I know I'll be even more pleased once I distance myself a bit from the struggle of stitching her. :)

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  10. Yay! Congratulations!

    I haven't finished this one yet either. I've stitched it on blue as well, and I'm leaving off the border and the word. Seeing your wonderful finish makes me want to get back to work on it.

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  11. Ahh, congrats on your great "finally" finish! I think the border alone would be enough to drive me bonkers. It seems to be a common thought haha. Your changes look great and I think I would've left off FATUM too. I just don't like the word for some odd reason! :) She looks amazing on that fabric.

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  12. First of all you I need to applaud your perseverance with this project which you obviously have not enjoyed stitching as much as you should have. The amount of changes you have made are definitely for the best. Now, move on and try to enjoy your next project more! :)

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  13. Beautiful finish!

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