A new technique for me!

I started my adult textile play with cross stitch.  I had an excellent program, enjoyed using it to create my own patterns, enjoyed the stitching.

Then I got drawn into patchwork and quilting - and cross stitch has taken a back seat ever since.

When the latest 'Round Robin landed with me, a request to add a pear to a piece of text printed fabric to replicate a crate of pears wrapped for storage, I thought that I'd try a technique I'd never tried before - cross stitch with waste canvas.

My start point was finding out (inevitably!) that the software I'd used for several years didn't work with the operating system that I have on the current PC!

 I downloaded a free trial of PMST20T, selected a photo of a pear, and created my colour pattern.

Then I mentally simplified it a bit more, grabbed the green threads from the embroidery floss drawers (oh the bliss of having a thread stash!),  pinned my aida to the printed fabric, and off I went!

 Several hours, spread over several days, and I'd got a pear that I was happy with (and no time left to stitch the leaf - oops!).

Now came the bit that required a bit of courage - removing the canvas from between the cross stitches and the print fabric!  I knew the theory but had never actually tried it before - and this seemed quite a big piece to be trying it out on!

I trimmed it first, then started pulling all the canvas threads out.  It was quite hard work - tough on the fingers whether using tweezers or not!

I did briefly wonder about leaving the canvas in but fringed, as an extra layer around the pear....it would have been less work, but not quite the effect that I wanted!

I kept going and was pleased with the finished effect!  The cross stitch is neat and regular, as you'd expect, but with a more exciting background than the single colour canvas that would usually be seen.

Not as beautiful as some of the other pears that had been created in earlier months, but a fun way for me to try out this waste canvas technique.  I'd certainly consider using it again when I want another small hand project.

How would you use it?  I can remember books suggesting that it was used for monogramming items, but I don't think that we're a monogramming sort of family (!), so I'll just be using it to add small motifs onto items, I think.