Latest progress

I apologize for not posting recently. I've been spending some time on other smaller needlework projects besides "Romeo & Juliet". The blends are a headache. I suppose I could try to have several needles prepped before I start a session, but I never know what I'll feel like working on next. I started working on the top of the pattern, stitching some of Juliet's balcony. I'll wait to post a scan when it's nearer completion. Right now, it's missing a few too many railings.

Teresa Wentzler is reportedly disappointed that more people aren't stitching "Romeo and Juliet". The kit probably dissuades some people. They prefer kitting up patterns, gathering the supplies, on their own, with their own choice of fabric and floss and accessories. The pattern itself isn't the easiest for newcomers. If you've never done blends or fractional stitches before, this pattern might be a nightmare.

Tangentially related, I saw "Shakespeare in Love" for the first time recently, which features that classic "Romeo and Ethel - the Pirate's Daughter." Somehow talking about great actresses who have played Ethel doesn't have the same effect, does it? Gwyneth Paltrow was adequate, though I still don't see the fuss with her. Joseph Fiennes was a *yummy* Shakespeare. Imagine if we had sat in English class knowing William Shakespeare looked and spoke like that?

Let's try again

I'm back. I took some time off from R&J with other needlework projects. I've come back with a semi-vengeance, finishing the outline of the border. To celebrate I made a scan. This is a closeup of the stitched area.



I also have a larger version which shows the entire area. The piece nearly didn't fit on the scanner.

Great Green Bushes of Doom

I scanned the second week's progress on R&J. As you can see, I'm making some progress but I'm hardly flying through the piece. I can see why the border gets tedious. And the "Great Green Bushes of Doom" as nicknamed on the board also get troublesome with so many shades of green and grey blended together. I can also comprehend why I like the loop start so much for cross-stitch. Every-time I start a new blend, I invariably find the place where I didn't tie down the previous one well enough, when it comes undone, thus necessitating unnecessary frogging. Can we say "Argh?"

I managed to get a little more work done on Juliet's gown, mostly filling in those purples next to the pinks/reds.

First week scan

I scanned my first week's progress.

I'm not sure how the colors turned out.

I've had some odd luck scanning needlework.

Week of frustrations

AHA! Eureka, I finally found some solid colors amongst all the blended ones. I was starting to despair of stitching normal single color floss, when I started working on the gold of Romeo's cloak.

ARGH! Only my first day stitching and I discover a mistake. I hate frogging my errors, especially after I restitch the "correction".

Stitching continues on R&J. I've expanded outwards to include part of the bushes and Juliet's dress.

Tweedledee and Tweedledum

I finally started stitching. My first attempts at blended threads were boringly in the center with Romeo's cloak lining. Teresa Wentzler is notorious for using this technique to combine two strands of different colors to create a new one. Unlike variegated threads, you don't have to carefully plan your "tweeding" so the variations line up the right way. Of course there are disadvantages to blends. Besides the hassle of rethreading each time with a new blend, I can't use my usual loop start for the blends, but I can for the rest of the pattern, which accounts for about half the colors.

Getting started

I have done cross-stitch for a number of years, but I have always been intimidated by Teresa Wentzler's fantasy designs with their partial stitches and blended threads. Her designs regularly take several pages just to cover the color chart alone, never mind the detail involved in the actual patterns. Then Teresa Wentzler released her "Romeo and Juliet" kit and I fell in love with the colors and design. I reasoned as how I did want to try a larger project and "Romeo and Juliet" was relatively small for her pieces. So I wound up ordering the kit from Fantasy Crafts. I also received her "Stretch" freebie included with my order, so I have more TW to contemplate.

The kit arrived on Thursday. Fortunately I had been reading the Teresa Wentzler Bulletin Board, so I knew where to locate the color key on the back of the French instructions. Key in hand, I spent part of the night sorting the colors, only to run out of bobbins.

This necessitated a trip to Nimble Needles, a small needlework store in the Crystal City Underground. I use the shop primarily because it's near the Metro, useful for restocking simple supplies on the way home from work. I found my bobbins and some Floss Away bags for the rest of the floss.

With the floss neatly organized, for now, I turned my attention to the light blue Monaco fabric, basting the edges to prevent fraying. My fabric always frays. Even when I work with pre-finished bookmarks, I have this problem.

Blended Leg: A "Romeo & Juliet" Project Diary

Welcome. This page chronicles my stitching progress on Teresa Wentzler's "Romeo and Juliet" cross-stitch kit with occasional links, pictures and always pithy commentary. To see the finished project, please see the official Teresa Wentzler Designworks website.