- Pattern: Dimensions Gold kit, adapted from art by Ruth Sanderson
- Materials: 16 ct light blue aida, floss as kitted, MH 00577 beads
- Size: 14" x 12"
- Time to stitch: 61 days estimated (57 since I started tracking)
It may be December, but technically it's still Fall for a few more days so this lady is seasonal!
Fall Fairy was my oldest WIP, started in December 2015, 3 years ago. The colors are gorgeous and definitely motivated me to continue. A significant portion of the design, probably 40%, is done in half cross. Often those half crosses are done with 3-5 threads in the needle and it takes a little care to make the stitches lie neatly. There is a ton of a backstitch, in several colors and with different thread counts. I left almost all of it until the end, which was a slog and a useful lesson. She would have been finished in November if I had backstitched as I went along. The charting is excellent, I think it's a wonderful adaptation of Ruth Sanderson's art.
The gold metallic cording attached with couching is a nice dimensional touch, though the crown gave me trouble. Couched, it just looked like a muddy mess. The stitches are too small and densely placed. I'm still not thrilled with it, but I found a combination of backstitch and couching to give a reasonably good result. The beading took several hours at the end; there are some on every page and they are charted in a rather random way. The beads are attached by coming up and going down in the same hole; I don't love the look, but there's no room for them otherwise since this the whole chart is full coverage.
The materials as kitted are a mixed bag, I suppose. I found the aida to be cheap and nasty. In the beginning it was stiff as a board, it actually hurt my wrists to stitch on it. I overcast the edges, ran it through the washing machine, and left it rolled up in my crafting cabinet for a long time. That whole process softened it considerably. However, the aida was still rather loosely woven and and it was easy to put the needle through adjacent, but not actually in the holes. That aspect was annoying.
The floss is good, plentiful, fluffy enough, with tons of lovely colors, and many subtle gradations of color too. The beads would have been fine, but I misplaced them so I subbed some Mill Hill beads in my stash, which were a close match, as far as I could tell from the picture.
My favorite aspect is probably the sense of motion, as she twirls and leaves float on the autumn breeze. The backstitching was painstaking, but it brought so many details into sharp releif. The mushrooms are cute. I think her hair is gorgeous. Her facial features are somewhat delicate, with tiny backstitches that split the stitches. I love how the cording looks, couched along her shawl and belt. The beads add some sparkle too.
I'm really happy this project is finally finished, and I look forward to starting another Dimensions project, but I will sub the aida for sure!
I've had this kit in my stash for a while but never start it. When I do I will get other Aida thanks for the tip. She looks great and I've loved watching you stitch her this year. Congratulations on the finish. Merry Christmas and happy stitching!!
Posted by: Amanda | December 18, 2018 at 03:43 AM
I have this kit in my stash also and I want to swap the Aida. What you recommend? Thank you.
Posted by: Ana Cruz | December 18, 2018 at 07:29 AM
Oh I forgot to mention, your stitching is beautiful!
Posted by: Ana Cruz | December 18, 2018 at 07:31 AM
This is just stunning! I love it, great job!
Posted by: CraftySasha | December 18, 2018 at 10:51 AM
Congrats on the finish! She is definitely gorgeous!
Posted by: Keebles | December 18, 2018 at 01:04 PM
She is stunningly beautiful and worth your hard work. Congratulations! Even though the expense is annoying I have swapped fabric out of kits when it was just too stiff to enjoy working on. Something to consider in the future. But she was worth it all - beautiful!
Posted by: Amy | December 18, 2018 at 06:57 PM
What a stunning finish! Well done!
Posted by: Robin in Virginia | December 21, 2018 at 09:08 AM
Congratulations on the Happy Dance for Fall Fairy. She is a beautiful design and I love all the little details in the close-up photos.
Well worth the time spent on her.
Posted by: Joanne P | December 21, 2018 at 05:27 PM
Oh wow, she is gorgeous! She's is definitely one I'd love to stitch one day, thank you for sharing your adventure with her.
Posted by: Astrid | December 21, 2018 at 07:26 PM
She's gorgeous! I love her, and really the whole series (I don't know if they are officially considered a series, or even by the same artist, but Spring Fairy, Fairy Tale, Fall Fairy and Woodland Enchantress kind of go together in my head). Well done!
Posted by: Leonore Winterer | January 07, 2019 at 09:55 AM