Perennial Garden Sampler Group Instructions

Group Project Instructions for
The Drawn Thread's Perennial Garden

Perennial Garden By Drawn Thread Led by Karin L.

As promised we are starting this week with the SAL Perennial Border. I myself particularly liked this design and after taking a vote on this board, I found out there were a lot more people who liked to do this one as well. Considering the time of the year a lot of us will be busy stitching for Christmas. That's why we are doing this SAL during a period of 8 weeks. The first 4 weeks we will get the Interior (Whitework) gardens finished. After that we will do one side of the PB each week. This timeframe will still give us time (hopefully) to do more things besides the SAL. As with my previous SAL (Alpine Garden) I will make some scans to clarify certain things, and if there are any questions, please let me know. Any comment is very much appreciated, that way I know I am not doing this all alone as well.

First week: Step 1 to 4 of the chart.
Although I was very much tempted to start exactly in the middle of the fabric, I decided to follow the chart, which meant starting with step 1, the cross stitches. Usually I prefer not to make basting lines, but I decided to make them for this chart, as I definitely don't like to do any frogging. With some good basting lines, I have the best way to prevent that.

First start with a basting line both horizontal and vertical in the middle of the fabric. On the horizontal and vertical lines I counted out 18 stitches (=36 threads) and made another basting line. Then I counted another 19 stitches (= 38 threads) and made the next basting line, which is the bottom line of the border with the flowers.

With the help of these basting lines, it was easy to start with the top left garden, making all the cross stitches with 2 strands of white.

After finishing the top left garden, I went on and made all the other 3 gardens as well, always starting in the corner of the basting lines.

Step 2 + 3
When the cross stitching is done, we make the eyelets, only the ones in the gardens. Make them with one strand of white. Watch out, some of them are over 4 threads, some of them over 6 threads. Then make the small double cross eyelets in both the upper left and lower right hand gardens. The diagrams of each of these stitches are clearly defined on the chart, so just follow the numbers mentioned on the diagrams and you will have no problem.

Step 4
We end this weeks instructions with the Satin stitches in the upper right and lower left garden. You can do these stitches by railroading. Railroading is when you are using two strands of silk or floss and when you take the needle down through the fabric (ie when you are making a satin stitch) you sort of lay it down straight on the fabric, insert the needle BETWEEN the two strands and then down through the fabric. The idea is to keep the strands separate so they lay nice and even and separate on the fabric. You can give it a try. It really makes two stranded satin stitching look nice.

By now our 4 gardens are finished. This week's instructions were quite a lot, but the next 3 weeks we will have less to do, so don't worry, if you have not been able to keep up with us, you will get on top of it within a few weeks.

Lots of success everyone!
Karin L. Hello everyone,
It was great reading the progress of a few ladies on this SAL. And I am sure a lot of you are waiting for this week's instructions. This week will be less work, but.... especially step 6 is a bit more complicated.

Step 5: Bands of satin stitches.

Start at the starting points and make 4 bands of satin stitches. Each (vertical and horizontal) satin stitch is done with 2 strands of White over 2 threads of fabric. Watch out at the inner corners, when you change from making a vertical satin stitch into a horizontal satin stitch and vice versa. Both the last vertical and the first horizontal stitch use the same top hole in the fabric.

Step 6 Double Four-sided stitches between the satin stitch bands.
It might look complicated when you look at the diagram, but after you have stitched step 5, you can clearly see where these double four-sided stitches should be, yes, between 2 bands of satin stitches. There are 4 groups of these stitches to be done.

You start at the center top and work from top to bottom for each group. Follow the diagram, and as you will see, you will have to stitch each leg of this stitch twice, using 1 strand of White. After the first stitch is finished, you go on with the second stitch. You do exactly the same as the first stitch, meaning stitching each leg of this stitch twice, also the top one!! The top one of the second stitch is the bottom one of the first stitch, so there will be 4 stitches at the same place instead of 2.

Make 7 of the double four-sided stitches per group and it is finished. It is very important that you pull each leg as tightly as possible, because by doing this, you will see that you get the little holes.

Step 8.
To finish the inner gardens go on with step 8, being the double cross eyelet in the center of the Whitework garden.

Next week we will do step 7, being the satin stitch vine and leaves around the gardens. And then, we are going to use some colours, instead of white!!

I hope the instructions are clear enough and you will all have fun doing this.

Please keep us all updated to your progress

Karin L. (from Holland, where it is raining all the time!!).

Hello everyone,
This week we will do the final stitching on the white work, being the satin stitch vine and the leaves around the gardens.

Step 7
This band consists of satin stitches, again using 2 strands of White. First we do the complete vine, because when you make a mistake, you will find that out at the end of the vine. If you already had done all the leaves at the same time, you might end up frogging everything, something nobody likes to do.
I started the vine at the top, in the middle above the band with the double four sided stitches. To save you from counting all the satin stitches, I made the following scan, on which are mentioned the number of satin stitches you have to make.
Watch out in the corners, where there are 2 stitches over 2 threads either next or underneath each other.

When you have finished the vine, make all the leaves. A detailed diagram of this is mentioned on the chart.

Now all what is left to do of the whitework are the eyelet stitches in the 4 corners using 1 strand of White.

As you can see there were not that many instructions for this week, and I do hope you all can still keep up with our SAL, besides all the Christmas ornaments, gifts etc. you still have to finish. Keep us informed about your progress!!
Happy stitching
Karin L.

Hello everyone,
Last week we finished all the instructions for the whitework and this week we are going to finish the last part of our inside border, being the flower names.

The instructions for this week are very, very straight forward. We stitch each flower name with a backstitch using one strand of DMC 3022. You have to make smyrna cross stitches between each name using the same colour thread. The only thing I want to warn you about is the following. When backstitching the names, you tend to hold the fabric in such a way, that you can read the name easily, (which is easier to stitch), but when working on the sides and the bottom don't forget to hold up your fabric again for the smyrna cross stitches. We do want all the stitches done in the same way no matter where they are located on the fabric. After this the complete inner border is finished.

Hello everyone,
This week we are definitely going to use a lot of colours. I decided to do 4 flowers this week, because once you get started with the flowers, you like them so much, you want to go on stitching them. And also because there were some questions about the stitch slant orientation of all the flowers.

Hydrangea
We first start with the leaves, which are being done in 2 colours of Green, 3051 Dark Olive and 142 Needle Necessities Grecian Olive. The backstitches of the stems are also done in Dark Olive, so I decided to do them at the same time as the cross stitches.

Instead of finishing one colour first before going on to the next colour, I decided to do them at the same time, because this really helps you with less counting.

So you start at the left with the Dark Olive for the first leaf, then do the Grecian Olive for the remaining of this leaf, then do the backstitching with the Dark Olive to go to the next leaf, and then again the Grecian Olive for the cross stitches and so on.

Don't forget while working with the Needle Necessities that you have to finish stitch after stitch, as this is an overdyed thread.

After finishing the leaves we go on with the flowers. I decided to do first the cross stitches in 3013 Very Light Olive and then add the smyrna cross stitches in 3688 Bright Pink.

Iris
Also this flower we start with the leaves and the backstitching, both done in DMC 520 Gray Green Dark. After that we add the flowers in cross stitch with 930 Dark Blue and 932 Medium Blue. This was an easy flower, and quick to be done.

Achillea
This I feel is the most difficult flower of the whole chart (perhaps because I am not very good at French knots).

The best thing to do is start with the backstitching of all the stems in 1 strand 3052 Medium Olive. When you finished the stems, we add all the little leaves, which are made of small lazy daisy stitches, also done in Medium Olive. For instructions of the lazy daisy stitch, look at the diagrams, they are done over 2 threads of fabric.

Then the most difficult part, the flowers which are worked in large French Knots. Look at the illustration in your chart and follow the instructions on how to do these large French knots.

However, if you are not happy with the result, you can always do smyrna cross stitches instead of the French knot, although the result will be a little bit different.

I myself am still not very happy with my result, so I might frog them and do Smyrna cross stitches instead. After doing these 3 flowers our top border is finished.

Now we are going to do the flowers at the right hand side of the chart. There have been some questions about the stitch slant orientation. Okay, it is easier to turn your fabric, so the next border is at the top, and then you do the stitching, but ..... this is not the way you should do it. All stitches of the whole chart should be facing the same way, otherwise it would not look very nice once finished.

Violet
Also with this flower we start with the leaves, and as mentioned above with the hydrangea, I decided to finish all leaves first and also do at the same time the backstitching. So you start with two different threads, the 319 Dark Pistachio for the cross stitch and the backstitching and the 367 Medium Pistachio for the remaining cross stitches. After the leaves are finished we do the flowers, with lazy daisy stitches using 1 strand of 3807 Violet. Look carefully at the diagram as they are different (vertical and diagonal). When the lazy daisy stitches are finished, we add a little touch by making a small upright cross in the center of each violet using 1 strand of 676 Light Yellow.

Okay, these were the instructions for this week already. I am sure you all loved working with the colours and the different stitches. Perhaps you like it so much, you want to go on and finish it (?).

For those of you who want to follow this SAL, just 2 more weeks and we will all be finished.
Enjoy this week
Karin L.
This week we will again do 4 flowers, leaving only 4 to be left for next week and then we are finished.

Just a reminder, don't forget to hold your fabric in the right way, so the cross stitches will all be done in the same way.

Day Lily
For the Day Lily start with the leaves, using 1 strand of Weeks Ivy. After this I started with the flowers in DMC Orange. As both the stems as well as the stamens are backstitched in the same colour DMC Dark Olive, I decided to do these after finishing the flowers. Then add the little cross stitches of Light Yellow. They are being done over one thread of fabric (!) at the end of each stamen.

Primula
Again start with the leaves, doing the two colours at the same times as explained at the Hydrangea. After that you do the backstitches for the stems. Then make the cross stitches for the flowers with 1 strand of Weeks Cyclamen and a smyrna cross stitch in the center of each flower using Light Yellow.

By now the right hand side of this chart is finished
Anemone
This is a very easy flower to do. I decided to do leaves and backstitches at the same time, as you have to use the same colour of thread, DMC Dark Hunter.

After that, first do all the cross stitches of the flowers in DMC White, and at the end, make the cross stitches in each center with 1 strand of DMC Light Orange.

Lupine
It won't be a surprise that we start again with the leaves and the backstitches in the colour Dark Gray Green. I did not do the second colour of the leaves at the same time, as we are also using this colour in the flowers. So first do the leaves and backstitches in one colour, then the leaves and part of the flowers in the second colour, being Medium Gray Green.

Then we come to the part with French knots. By now you all know that I am not comfortable with this stitch, especially as this will be a small French knot with only 2 wraps. So instead I did do the Smyrna cross stitch using one strand of Needle Necessities Anemone. For those who have no problems with it, do the French knot, as the diagram is very clear of how to do it and where to put them. For those not happy with that, use either a colonial knot or a Smyrna cross stitch.

These were again all the instructions for this week. I am curious as to how many of you used French knots or the smyrna cross stitches. And... how many could not wait till next week and already finished this one this week.

Looking forward to hear from you again
Happy Stitching
Karin L.

Hello everyone,
Already we have arrived at the last week of this SAL.
This week we will start with the last flower at the bottom.

ASTER
First start with the leaves making cross stitches using 1 strand of NN Grecian Olive. Backstitch the stems in 1 strand of DMC Dark Olive. After having done this, start making the Asters using the NN Mystique. Follow the diagram at the chart very carefully. Just a little warning, don't pull the threads too hard, otherwise it will start looking as an eyelet and that's not the intention. After finishing these stitches, add a Smyrna cross stitch in the center of each flower and the bottom part is finished.

Doesn't this one look great?

PANSY
Start working the leaves with both the two colours Dark Pistachio and Medium Pistachio at the same time. Also do the cross stitches at the same time as the backstitches, as explained before.

After that make the lazy daisies, first the four upper daisies in Purple and after they are finished the bottom daisy in Bright Gold.

HOLLYHOCK
Start the leaves with cross stitches in Weeks Hunter. And after that backstitch the few stems in DMC Dark Hunter. Now we can start making the flowers, using eyelets in Weeks Begonia. At the same time when you are making the eyelets, don't forget to make the few cross stitches in the same colour.

DAISY
The final flower is the Daisy. Again, first make the leaves, using Weeks Blue Spruce, then add the stems, backstitched in DMC Gray Green Dark.

For the flower we use again lazy daisy stitches, using DMC White. Watch carefully at the chart where you position these flowers. The horizontal and vertical daisies are exactly in the middle of each flower, so there always will be 3 threads between one stitch and the other.

Having done this, add 4 little cross stitches over one thread of fabric in the center of each flower. Of course, if you like you can also use one French knot or a Smyrna cross stitch, but the cross stitches over one give a more delicate impression.

FINISHED
Congratulations, you have now finished stitching this lovely chart. And you can finish it just the way you like it, either frame it, make a pillow etc. Let us all know what you are planning to do with it.

I really enjoyed all your reactions the last couple of weeks and am again looking forward to the next SAL.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Karin L.