Off the Grid Sampler is finished

Welcome! I'm very happy to share this finish with you 😊 It's been a fun project but it's nice to see it finished so that I now have a few less projects on the go, or I can start another one! 😁

Finishing up "Off the Grid"

Since I kept track of all of my different stitches, I can tell you that there were 44 different area to stitch. In some of those areas, I even managed to use a combination of more than one stitch.

"Off the Grid" Sampler finished and mounted

I don't usually track all of this but a sampler that doesn't include a record of the stitches used is difficult to learn from. Sometimes I can tell which stitches I used, but at other time, I don't have a clue!

This is my sampler - I did miss two areas, between 23 and 24, and then on the other side of 23. 

A drawing of the sampler

These are the stitches that I used the most, in several places: 

• Running stitch
• Chain stitch 
• Cross stitch 
• Blanket stitch and double blanket (buttonhole) battlement
• Backstitch 
• Couching
• Herringbone 
• French knots 
• Feather stitch
• Threaded backstitch and running stitch
• Stem stitch 

I only used these stitches in one area of the sampler:

• Coral stitch 
• Sheaf stitch 
• Van Dyke stitch 
• Trellis
• Seed stitch
• Raised band herringbone stitch 
• Detached chain stitch
• Fly stitch
• Herringbone square stitch (a real mess)
• Outlined satin stitch
• Double running stitch 
• Long and short 

In case you're interested, I linked the stitches above to Sharon Boggon's Pentangle Stitch Dictionary. 

Here are a few more images of stitches.

Raised band herringbone stitch, a row of chain stitch,
lots of French Knots, random fly and feather stitches,
and outlined satin stitch

from left, clockwise
Seed stitch, stem stitch, buttonhole stitch, double buttonhole
and battlement stitch, threaded running stitch (with transparent elastic),
threaded backstitch and couching stitch (at bottom)

I finished my sampler by mounting it on a canvas board.

Off the Grid Sampler

What I learned

• As I typed out my notes about the stitches, I realised that they weren't very good - better than nothing but not consistent or detailed enough.
• Using variegated thread for almost any stitch adds colour and interest.
• My least successful stitches were in not very straight rows. 
• In doing couching stitches, if you want them to show up, they need to be very contrasting and use more than one thread. 
• I had given up on making the sampler pretty and used many more colours than I usually do. I'm not really sure why it works but it does look good. I did try to repeat the colours, so that may have helped.
• I really like using the Mouliné étoile embroidery thread by DMC for French Knots. They are slightly fluffy and look great.
• I love trying out different yarns for embroidery. Another fun yarn is Tencel Pearl. I've linked to the company, Trail Head Yarns, below.
• I also discovered that you can buy linen at the yarn store for embroidery. I got 3 colours of the BC Garn Lino for Christmas. What beautiful linen and perfect for embroidery. Buying a skein of linen is economical considering how much linen it contains. It's going to last many years 😊

Related links

• Off the Grid Sampler, December 11, 2022
• Mouliné étoile embroidery thread by DMC
• Trail Head Yarns - manufacturer of Tencel Pearl
• BC Garn Lino, available at many yarn stores.
• Pintangle's Stitch Dictionary 
• Sharon Boggon, Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery: Visual Guide to 120 Essential Stitches for Stunning Designs 

Linking parties

I'll be linking up this post to many fun linking parties. Let's see what's going on out there! Patchwork & Appliqué, Design Wall Monday, Sew & Tell, Midweek Makers, 

Project detail

Off the Grid sampler

Based on a workshop with Sue Stone, TextileArtist.org

Size: 8" x 6"

Material: Kona cotton, embroidery floss, metallic thread, Mouliné étoile, Tencel Pearl, perle cotton, transparent elastic, etc.

Techniques: embroidery (see post for stitches)