This is one of a pair of birds I did a long time ago. I can’t remember what I intended to do with it – it looks like a kind of sampler so maybe I was using it to try out some of the built-in decorative stitches available on the PE Design software, as well as some of my own patterns. I liked it well enough but it was a real pig to stitch out. In the first place it’s very large and complex with 22 different applique areas, so it took several hours to do – definitely not a design for the faint-hearted! In the second place the dense stitching means that there were terrible pull problems with it. This happens when the stitching pulls and distorts the fabric, and it means that outline stitches done late in the stitchouts don’t always lie where they should.
Last chance for the bird with a pull problem
I did this version as a final attempt to solve its technical problems. It was done on heavy felt (which doesn’t distort easily) and I lined the embroidery hoop with rubber to encourage it to hold the fabric firmly. In spite of these precautions there’s still pull on it, so I give up
If you want to see where the pull is – the fabric was appliqueed on with blue thread and then overstitched with red, so anywhere you can see blue thread peeking through the borders of the squares, that's pull
There is a similar second bird in this series – I haven’t stitched it out yet but I have a feeling that it will have the same problems. When I can summon up the energy I’ll try it once more but I’m not optimistic
still striking panel even with peekaboo threads!