Meadowsong: Mountmellick pouch

I'm beginning this post with the finished product. Getting to it was a bit of a process, so I want to reassure any reader (and myself) that I did get there! 

This was a kit I bought from Inspirations 122, A Mountmellick pouch which the creator, Deborah Love, named Meadowsong.

I had not, as far as I can remember, attempted Mountmellick before. The kit came with the fabric - described as white jeans material -along with 3 threads of different thickness wound on cards, white machine cotton and needles. From reading Yvette Stanton, I gathered Mountmellick always uses non-polished white matt cotton, usually sold in three thicknesses.

The first challenge was to transfer the design. The fabric was too thick to transfer the design by tracing on to it, even using a light table.  In the end I used the old pencil method. A is the printed design sheet. B is my pencil copy onto tracing paper and C is the pencil design transferred to the fabric by rubbing over the reversed tracing.

It gave me a clear image of the end motif ( yes, I stitched the design in reverse) to work with and a single line around the length and breadth of the piece to be embroidered.

I knew that the thread would pick up graphite from the drawing as I stitched. I also knew it would annoy me, so prepared myself to be patient.

I began working in the recommended place (the rose) and generally stuck to the suggested order, deviating a little to use up the thread left in my needle when it was still in good condition.

Most of the stitches were familiar to me, but the methods of stitching a couple of the leaves were new, as was the linked chain stitch stem.

I was right about the thread getting grubby, but I held off washing it and moved on to the border. which I had only marked with one pencil line.

         It was a long way around with two-length blanket stitch border topped by french knots, but soothing, if a little hard on the hands without the aid of a hoop.

This is followed by an inner border of herringbone and detached chain.  I just had enough of the recommended medium thread to finish the herringbone and a few detached chains. I worked the remainder in the heavier thread until it also ran out. Rather than use a polished thread, like coton-a-broder, I found a roll of vintage matt thread. It is a 3ply knitting thread and too thick but I removed one of its plies to finish the last 15 detached chains. Might as well try to be a purist!

As soon as I finished the stitching  I washed it and blocked it. Blocking wasn't in the instructions and didn't work very well. It did help to show heavily embroidered areas where the pencil hadn't come out. I washed these again, using a nailbrush to get into the thread layers. Once I was sure the pencil had gone, I ironed it.

I opted to line the pouch. It seems to me that to be really useful, the inside needs to be smooth, without the risk of contents catching on stitches. It also, I think, is better not being white.I chose some pink silk. 

I cut it slightly larger than the embroidered piece, folded the extra under as a hem, ironing as I went, and pinned it. The curves were a bit tricky, but OK.

I stitched it down all around with pale pink machine thread.

The kit included white machine thread for joining up the sides of the pouch by hand with running stitch. I thought I'd get a better finish on mine (especially since it is lined)  using a buttonhole stitch and the remaining fine white Mountmellick cotton. I had enough of the thread to use it double.

The result is the introductory photo at the top of this post. 

The back view when folded and the front view opened are shown here.

I'm very pleased with it. I learned quite a bit, improvised a bit and have a(nother) useful pouch. It may end up holding jewellery - an idea at the back of my mind when I went for silk lining.