Tea Box

I recently bought two kits of tea boxes with Anna Scott embroidery linens designed to be fitted into the lids once embroidered. 

These were a Create in Stitch  promotion and part of their Barossa Weekend Retreat next May.

When I unpacked the first box, which I intended as a gift to one of my daughters, I was reluctant to cover the lid with embroidery, but my daughter didn't share my scruples, so I proceeded.

I began with the Very Very Berry  design. Ignoring the instruction to mount in an 8" hoop, I opted for a 10" to have the whole design visible and avoid moving the linen while working on it. Tomake this possible I added a strip of linen to the bottom of the linen. While larger hoops are harder to keep tight, I had no trouble with this one. 

I also backed the linen with a piece of cheesecloth to strengthen it. 

For the most part I followed the stitching order suggested, beginning with the bird. When it came to the berries I added in a woven version with an odd number of spokes, enabling an under-over weave.

What looks like a little colour bleeding here is, I think, a little thread shedding and has disappeared with blocking.

The design covers a nice variety of stitches and falls easily into working sections. It's satisfying to be able to complete one section in a sitting.  

The leaves were, perhaps, the most challenging. A couple of the colours are very close . I varied the vein colour in a few instances.

It was a bit strange to finish the leaves and stems while the bird has no legs, so I pushed on to finish.

Before blocking I  added my initials and those of the recipient. It took about 15 hours to dry overnight.

The next challenge was mounting.

I had enough acid-free mounting board, so began by creating a paper template, then cutting the mounting board with my Stanley knife and finding an already cut oval of felt that would pad the embroidery without making the edges too thick. I added a smaller felt oval on top of this one.

It took a while to get it arranged with the design nicely centred. The mounting board is a good consistency for pinning - a very necessary step.

I use waxed thread for lashing. This is a pretty messy effort, but manipulated to seal the corners and to make sure the signature is reasonably straight on the front. 

It fits well, but the corners didn't sit down, so I applied very narrow double-sided tape to the edges.

The corners still popped up, so I applied weights for a few hours. I think it has worked but if it lifts a little a wider tape on the corners might be needed.  

I'm glad I proceeded with the embroidered lid.    It is, indeed, a worthy addition to the beautiful wood, and a joy to stitch.          

This is one I do recommend!