Monday, August 15, 2011

English and Aussie gardens...



Three ladybirds and the tail of a pretty bird have appeared on my Marjolein Bastin English garden sampler. I have finished the watering can, sparrow and basket of strawberries.
Let me ask you a question dear fellow cross stitch devotees. How do you keep track of the pattern on a large chart? I'm finding it particularly tricky on this sampler to keep my eye on exactly where I am particularly in the larger areas of cross stitch. The pattern is printed in black and white only so I think this makes it trickier. I have been using a sticky note under where I am up to but that is thwart with problems.
From an English garden to Aussie one:

As you have probably read I moved house late last year. My new house is in a bushy area with garden stipulations using native Australian plants. I'm finding it an exciting challenge planting in this new style as I have always been an "English style" gardener through and through.

I have kept an area of my garden for my English and edible plants but I have designated a large area to native plants. I'm trying to love the natives but their less vibrant green and smaller flowers make them less lovable. I guess foliage planting is the key! On the plus side the presence of plenty of bird varieties (Wattlebirds, honeyeaters and fairy wrens etc) make this garden style worth persisting with.

7 comments:

Kathy said...

Hi Jan,
I have started to photo-copy my x-stitch patterns and then I colour them in with a black lead pencil as I go. Some people I have seen use a highlighter. Your x-stitch seems to be coming along quickly and looks great. Happy Stitching

Sarah said...

Yup I am with Kathy... I do this. BUt with yours and multiple colours.. I am not sure but patience and persistence!!

It is look ing good!

Gabi said...

Beautiful progress. Lovely.
Like Kathy I make working copies. And I work with a red pencil to scratch out what I stitched. For me it works the best if I make scratch the parts that I have stitched out, making them "invisible". (my working copies look horrible...lol)
That being said, it works different for each.
Plus I enlarge most of the charts I'm working on.
Love your garden.

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

http://serendipitousstitching.blogspot.com/2011/08/charting-mermaid-and-inky-darkness.html

That's my blog post on how I manage. I decide which colour I'm going to stitch - say dark blue, then I colour all the dark blue symbols in with a dark blue felt pen. Then I do the med blue with a med blue pen and so on.
It makes a lovely colourful working copy!

Giovanna said...

I love how your sampler is growing - it's beautiful!

Jan Gartlan said...

Thanks girls for your insightful comments. You have given me so many ideas for reading my pattern easier. I'll definately give your suggestion a try.

Unknown said...

Hi,
I use colors pencils!!!! But no highlighter cause one time I accindetally got some on the fabric and it was hard to get off!!!!!