UPDATE 04/22/2011:
Just added a photo showing Florentine Fancywork framed.
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(Florentine Fancywork all stitched)
Project: Florentine Fancywork
Designer: Toni McKelley
Type of needlework: Bargello
Photos: 2
Comments: I have been wanting to stitch this piece for a while now as I love both the design and the colors used in Florentine Fancywork. I do think that this has been my most colorful project so far as I tend to go for more subdued colors in general, but somehow these colors are very pleasant to me.
A few notes about this piece.
The colors in the photo provided on the ANG website (see photo below) seem to me much lighter than mine and I am using exactly the colors listed on the material list so you may get a more accurate idea of the colors of this piece with the photo above. I am actually happy about that as they are, to me anyway, much richer looking. My thoughts on this are that this is just a photo color thing. I should know as sometimes with some projects I have an absolutely terrible time taking good photos and with others it is a breeze, so go figure.
A second point that I need to be making at this juncture is that the master graph is a little different than what we can see on the ANG photo, not by much, just a few details like on the left and right side flower border, I have 9 flowers and on the original piece there is only 8 and some of the flowers are separated by some Dark Periwinkle thread. I could have gone either way with this, but have decided to just go with the actual master graph. I just don't feel like complicating my life in trying to change anything as either way suits me just fine.
Another point is that there are a few errors, at least on my own instructions which a friend let me borrow because I wanted to stitch this project but like others I only needed the instructions, not the class itself. One of the thread listed on the material list is Rainbow Gallery, Mandarin Floss, M843 Straw, but when you actually start using that color, you will find out that it should have been M842 instead which is a lighter shade of the same color, but you want the correct shade as the one listed on the material list is way too dark. Another thing, I would strongly advise anyone stitching this piece is to purchase 2 cards of the Rainbow Gallery, Splendor, S864, Dark Periwinkle, as one would have been insufficient for me.
There are a few mistakes on the charts, but they are mainly on the individual charts for specific sections. I have found that if I checked the master charts with the individual sectional charts, these little mistakes became evident and I could avoid them. Another point to make is that if you are like me, you are used to doing bargello projects that are rather simpler. What I mean by that is that once you have understood the progression of the pattern it more or less remains the same for the entire section, but this project is way different as you have many sections that meets each others and thus have lots of compensations, so if I had to give one word of advise, do not take anything for granted and check, check and check before assuming that if you have done one row one way that the next row will be the same. It may not be the case.
I have enjoyed this piece tremendously and am quite happy to have had the opportunity to stitch it. It has been a great experience.
Another point is that there are a few errors, at least on my own instructions which a friend let me borrow because I wanted to stitch this project but like others I only needed the instructions, not the class itself. One of the thread listed on the material list is Rainbow Gallery, Mandarin Floss, M843 Straw, but when you actually start using that color, you will find out that it should have been M842 instead which is a lighter shade of the same color, but you want the correct shade as the one listed on the material list is way too dark. Another thing, I would strongly advise anyone stitching this piece is to purchase 2 cards of the Rainbow Gallery, Splendor, S864, Dark Periwinkle, as one would have been insufficient for me.
There are a few mistakes on the charts, but they are mainly on the individual charts for specific sections. I have found that if I checked the master charts with the individual sectional charts, these little mistakes became evident and I could avoid them. Another point to make is that if you are like me, you are used to doing bargello projects that are rather simpler. What I mean by that is that once you have understood the progression of the pattern it more or less remains the same for the entire section, but this project is way different as you have many sections that meets each others and thus have lots of compensations, so if I had to give one word of advise, do not take anything for granted and check, check and check before assuming that if you have done one row one way that the next row will be the same. It may not be the case.
I have enjoyed this piece tremendously and am quite happy to have had the opportunity to stitch it. It has been a great experience.
Below here is the photograph of the piece that is on the ANG website.
(Photo as shown on the ANG website)
