This tablecloth too was a big project.
At the beginning, instead of a central embroided row I wanted to make two rows parallel to each other. However, I thought that it was a bit too much, and in this way the central pattern was less likely to be covered by plates and therefore more visible ( and less at risk of getting dirty).
I used the other embroidery for making a table runner for our TV table, so I ended up having one table runner and one tablecloth rather than just a tablecloth!
After making the main part, I thought I was close to the end but the decorations on the border took forever to make, in total they are more or less 6 metres long!
I quite enjoyed making the first set of Handkerchiefs so I jumped immediately into a new one.
This time, I chose a grey background and I decided to change the color of the stitches and keep the same pattern in all 6 of them. This pattern was quite fun and easy to make, and I went through pretty quickly.
Even if I really liked the patterns and the color, I am afraid the fabric was not of the best quality and they lost shape fairly quick. Especially the purple one became unfortunately quite deformed. The other five though fairly kept their shape and this one has become my official handkerchief set for guests.
Of course, every time I make sure to mention that I decorated them myself.
Thinking back, I believe the pattern I chose contributed to stretching them on one side. The previous set was made of the same fabric, and it didn't change shape so much, probably because the design was on a corner and it stretched the fabric less. I will definitely keep this in mind if I do one more set.
I am working on a few series of handkerchief sets and this is the first one I finished. For this one, I chose to always use the same colors (brown fabric and cream and light brown thread) and change the patterns. The pattern covers only a bit more than 1/3 of the fabric, cutting through it diagonally.
The main challenge was that the back side has to look as good as the front side. The Sashiko patterns are made for being used like this, so it was not so difficult, and I am fairly satisfied by the result.
I had a lot of doubts on how to close the thread. I ended up doing a little knot, not very traditional for embroidery but I do need them to be resistant: I hope they will be used and, consequently, washed.