Hi all,
Well I've calmed down and I learned a few things. First I practiced with my stash and canvas using a smaller sized ribbon, 4mm on 14ct because it is what I had available. The original materials used are 13ct canvas with sizes 7mm and 13mm ribbon.
Just using the smaller ribbon helped me to understand that ribbon size made a big difference in how everything looked. Plus I learned that ribbon isn't necessarily supposed to "lay" like threads; it's wider than the hole it's going through or coming out of and might not be smooth and flat, or even neat depending on the stitch and materials involved.
The photo on the left shows the stitch using smaller light colored ribbon. Lo and behold it laid neatly, cooperated and covered very nicely. Also in the photo is a sample sewn in the same stitch with the darker larger ribbon I had left. If you enlarge the photo you will see how bulky and puffy the larger ribbon looks and how easy it is to detect a mistake. I find the use of large ribbon isn't all that forgiving. But that could just be me looking through my "mag eyes". It didn't help either that I was expecting something completely different than I should have.
The effect of using the larger ribbons on this project was to look like leaves on a tree, large bulky leaves giving the tree dimension. The 7mm was used on the top two-thirds of the area and the 13mm was used on the bottom third. In addition, by my not pulling the ribbon far enough through in most cases and too far in others was also a problem leading to my frustration. And I was not watching my back which is why I got into trouble with the "wad" in the first place.
For me, this chosen stitch and ribbon is exactly what was needed for the so-called artichoke trees. I can't think of anything else that would have been as effective. No, it was just me jumping into something that needed more time and attention than it looked. Live and learn that's why we're here. So after all is said and done, I feel I must continue to practice and get more comfortable using ribbon techniques and then I'll finish up this fun and fabulous project. Thanks for stopping by again today, hope you have a wonderful week to enjoy in peace and good company.
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