Friday, November 1, 2013

Converting Floss Colours from DMC to Belle Soie

Gentle Friends I thought today I would talk about how I go about converting floss in projects.  I talk about converting floss all the time and get quite a few emails with questions about how I go about it so let me know if this explanation is clear......

  I often convert, change, substitute, add, subtract, fix floss choices in different projects for various reasons.  The main reasons I would change the floss is I do not like the recommended colours or floss chosen by the designer - or - I want to use silk instead of cotton to stitch with.  Whatever the reason I approach each project with two things in mind 1) It's mine and I am the one doing the work, so I gotta please me and 2) I want the end product to be something I would like.  That seems so me-centric, but in the long run you gotta please number one before pleasing someone else, am I right??  Don't get me wrong, I like using DMC and on many projects the end result will only be "right" if I use DMC or some cotton equivalent, so that's what I will use - and just I know that over dyed silk just won't cut it!

My next project, and I am almost there with that decision, is going to be another biggish sampler.  It is one I saw a long long time ago on a Blog, I inquired what is was and then went on the hunt for the chart.  Of course it was an older chart, which turned out to be a OOP/discontinued Kit - so I turned to the bay of evil and eventually won not just one used kit - which came with a knot of used little bits of DMC floss and the chart, but also won another complete kit with the linen and a set of unused skeins of DMC..... here's a snaperoo ......

......  for the picture I have unfolded the gigantic piece of 28ct linen and put out the chart "Sarah Maddock Sampler" and the skeins of DMC all of these things that came in the kit.  Now, for sure I'll be changing out the linen, it is just to low a count for me to be comfortable with stitching on anymore and I'll up it to a piece of 36ct or even 40ct, but choosing the floss is topmost on the agenda today.....

I knew from the get go that I was stitching this in my go to silk, Belle Soie so out came my rings of BS - I then just start going through them and matching up a skein of DMC with a BS colour and shifting back and forth to come up with the palette that the kit calls for.  The biggest problem I had with this conversion was with the blues.  They lean more toward the blue/green than the bright blue Belle Soie is dyed so I chose four blues that covered the four shades of blue required.  For this sampler there are few colours so I will be adding other colours, like "Red Fox" for the house, at the moment it is charted the light pink colour and I want a more brick tone.  I also know I'll be knocking out the grapes in the border with purples and not blues.  It was the border that attracted me to this in the first place and I want purple grapes.  I'll probably add another green but I am waffling about that decision.

This little "conversion" took about 1/2 hour and I'll still tweak it as I go along, but for the most part I am pretty happy with my decisions, but I am flexible so I may change my mind as I go along.
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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks again for stopping by, have a super weekend and do stop again!!

Take care,
edgar

14 comments:

  1. Great tutorial on how you convert. What a beautiful sampler! I can't wait to see some stitching on it.
    Have a fabulous weekend!

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  2. Edgar - can't wait to see a start on this one. Thanks so much for explaination of floss substitutions that you do. You make to sound so easy!

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  3. Very interesting Edgar. I hope someday to be up to the challenge of creating an individual color pallet.

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  4. Edgar, what a fun post! I'm always interested in learning people's creative process. What motivates them to choose what they do and how they go about it is so fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Dearest Edgar: I am so glad I am not the only person that changes colors for a project, I love the sampler it looks very beautiful.
    Catherine

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  6. Thanks for this tutorial, Edgar. I'm chicken when it comes to changing colors. I will have to try it out sometime using your method.

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  7. Aww thanks for the tutorial dear...
    I love the sampler so much..
    Big hugs x

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  8. I am a color changer. I want to love it when it's done. So I know the feeling of wanting to make it mine. I can't wait to see the progress you make on this new chart.

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  9. Thanks so much for your little lesson on how you convert. I totally agree with you and I often change the colors. I rarely do any thing in pink shades. I'm a barn red lover.

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  10. Thanks Edgar! I think I understand but am still really hesitant to try this myself.

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  11. I just finished up a sampler last night but last week when I was almost done, I noticed I'd made a mistake on a color in an area(and this was only a 2 color piece)so I switched colors around and it came out great. I think I like it better then the chart...haha. Sometimes switching colors can lead to a mistake but other times it can be a "happy" mistake :)

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  12. I agree with you about making the sampler "yours"...and I'll bet most of the designers would agree with you too.

    I'm just beginning with converting some things so have a lot to learn.

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  13. Edgar,
    Thank you for this tidbit. I like it and will have to remember to use it.
    I love the stitching world and all the new ways of learning to do things.
    So cool!

    Have a great day!
    Carolyn

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  14. Loved this post. I'm usually too afraid to deviate from the flosses or fabric that were used on a designer's model, but I honestly feel more adventurous after reading this. I love how you keep your Belle Soie silks on rings (do you hang these in some sort of special storage device?) I've been building my own collection of Belle Soie over this past year and I have several of Theresa Baird's samplers completely kitted up with them. I really love the pallette of colors the Belle Soie silks come in, as well as their variegated shading. I'm looking forward to watching your sampler come to life. Always love seeing your beautiful work. Thanks for sharing these tips, Edgar!

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“In every end, there is also a beginning.”

 Gentle Friends, I finished the sampler last night and here's a snaperooo... Village Square Sampler from Samplers Remembered   1/8 - 3/2...