Lord Have Mercy & Deliver me from Soie Ovale!
I am not a quitter, but I gave in~ yes, my name is Rachael, and I am indeed a quitter. I cannot hang. I cannot endure another second working with this horrible thread. I had planned to work the entire trinket box in ovale, because, well, I didn't like it and wanted to make myself like it. Nope. Not happening. I got the two little end panels done and quit! Thats It! Im done! I would rather lick the pavement after a rodeo parade than ever thread this thru my needle again~ e-v-e-r.
Why. Well for those of you who have not tried it, I will try and contain my utter frustration and explain....
It snaggs on everything~ and I mean everything! I even wore surgical gloves! If it wasnt snagging on a microscopic piece of skin on my hand, it was snagging on my slate frame or the silk satin background fabric...yes~ it even snags on such a soft fabric!!!! I use a handmade Japanese needle so the eye wont cut the fibers, and every other stitch the blasted stuff would come out of my needle's eye so would have to rethread....knots...horrible! It is very difficult to get it to lay flat, even with a laying tool and making sure to not twist my needle as I pull it thru.... and I find it really bulky! I'm not stitching anything particularly small, and felt that a thread half the thickness would have been better~ forget trying to separate a strand~ not happening. I hate it. period. You will get no good review of it from me! Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh.
I was in tears yesterday~ it looks so hideous! Too much negative energy~ just thinking about working on it would put me in a bad mood~ and a bad aura will show up in your stitching! I first wanted to rip it off the frame and throw it out in the dirt and stomp on it~ really! But all that swearing...and I did swear...a lot... and the time it took to get this pathetic little panel finished...I will use it~ a badge that I did not totally give up.
I couched gilt Elizabethan twist round little bit of it, and I do like how that sparkles~ its (the Elizabethan twist) is pretty~
Oh and what else have I learned.....dark background~ NEVER again! I know I don't like to stitch on black, that caused me to nearly go blind a few years ago...thought that the emerald satin would be OK~ nope~ I cant see a thing~ cant see the black design lines I drew on, cant see my needle as I bring it up thru the fabric...this whole thing is horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6 comments:
Take a deeeeeeeep breath! Now, go find something you LIKE to work on with something you LIKE to work with! :-) I think I can see why you're in such a state. That stuff doesn't lay like silk, it looks more like Red Heart YARN!!! (and you know what I think of Red Heart yarn!!) Hang in there, Honey. :-)
LY, mOM
Yes~ can anyone say BEADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:-( this is so sad! I hope you can get in some time with a thead you like, to chase the blues away! I really love Soie Ovale - I've used it on lots and lots of projects. It's such a rich flat silk with great body, and it's so beautiful when stitched! The only way it can be easily workable for regular hand embroidery, though, is by using a laying tool with it. I've even used it for tambour work, though, to good effect. Granted, the only stitches I've used it with are satin stitch, surface satin stitch, long & short stitch, and split stitch (and chain with the tambour hook). I probably wouldn't use it for any other stitches, though. Anyway, I hope your frustrations are soon passed!
I agree! I didn't have QUITE the problems you have, but it's a very difficult thread. Life is too short and there's too many fun things to embroider to put up with difficult threads. It's nice to try it, though.
I will say that I'm duly warned!! :) I will give it a try because I must use everything in my CoC kit, but I will know what I'm getting into before! And- I will find a laying tool! :-) I love your work and can't wait to see what else you are working on!
Yes, Soie Ovale is not easy to use and is also important to check the "direction" of the thread before starting to stitch, this helps a lot. I also use a light cream on hands. The best replacement for this silk I have found is from Pipers or from Devere, both are much finer but I use multiple strands in the needle when I need a thicker thread..those are not catching at all but probaby you alredy know those ones.
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