I finally completed The Beatitudes, a gift for my sister-in-law. I had been stitching The Serenity Prayer for my mother one time as my sister-in-law watched. She told me she enjoys stitching, too, when she finds the time. She also noted that she liked the prayer I was stitching, but particularly liked the Beatitudes. That was enough to make me want to stitch something especially for her.

I picked this chart because I thought that even though it was large, it would go quickly because so much of the pattern was repeated. What I learned by stitching it was that I don't enjoy stitching the same motif over and over! I also thought that the shade of brown fabric I chose did not allow the floss colors to stand out well, which was another disappointment. I became bogged down for weeks, and this project became a UFO.

I was so glad to finally completed this piece! Then it sat around for a long time while I decided when to give it to my sister-in-law. The time presented itself when my sister-in-law discovered that she had breast cancer. Her faith in God is tremendous, and she clung to God during her surgery and treatment. It seemed the perfect time to give her the stitchery.

The new technique I tried with this piece has to do with how I held the fabric. I attached it to my Gazelle floor stand using a LokScroll frame. I found myself having to adjust the tension a lot, which was another reason that it was not fun to work on. When I picked the piece up again in March, I decided to lash the sides of the fabric to the side bars of my scrolls. The tension was wonderful. I did not have to re-adjust it even once. I simply took some heavy sewing thread and sewed the thread through the side of my fabric and around the side bars from top to bottom. It only took a couple minutes, because this method of lashing is not a picky process. When it was time to roll the stitching area, I just snipped through the thread, rolled the scroll, and re-lashed. In the long run, it was well worth the time it takes to do the lashing.

If you'd like to learn more about lashing, read my page in Needlework 101 entitled Lashing.

Pattern name:	The Beatitudes
Leaflet Name:	The Beatitudes, CSL-41
Designer:	Melinda Blackman
Stitch Count:	148 x 221
Fabric:	Brittney ... (Color: Mushroom, I think)
Floss:	2 strands DMC cotton
Cost:	$3.00 (US)
Copyright year:	1989

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4725 Commercial Drive
Huntsville, AL 35816

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