Picking up my neglected cross stitch project - Olde World Map by Janlynn

A while ago I wrote a post about my currently incomplete cross stitch projects - there were four in progress, plus at least two that are still unopened. Perhaps not as bad as some with this hobby, but the ones on the go are large projects that will take a long time to complete!

Probably my favourite in progress cross stitch project is the Olde World Map by Janlynn (affiliate link) which appeals to me because I love maps and I love historical cross stitch designs. It's a large piece but I've completed complicated cross stitch projects before like Three Things by Moira Blackburn and the Christmas ABC Sampler by Design Works, so I wasn't too daunted. I started with one of the map sections in the centre and didn't find it too difficult.

But then I reached the border along the bottom, and this is where I got stuck. The cross stitch pattern is very dense, with lots of different symbols for all the different colours and also a lot of the colours are very similar. Here's a small section of the pattern for the border. The pattern is printed with some colours, including the yellow section which refers to a golden coloured thread. 

But! When you come to stitch it, you realise that most of the colours you are using in this section are almost identical, including the ones that are printed red on the pattern! Even in natural light it's really difficult to see the difference between a couple of the colours. So I was struggling with this, and that is what had made me put the project to one side. However this time when I picked it up I was determined, and I worked really hard to complete a large section of the border.

I began by adding the stitches in the darkest colours and counting very carefully, so that I had some markers in place. Then I worked on the areas marked yellow in the pattern. After adding in the simple lines I used a post it note and moved it across to work on one column at a time. It was slow going, although the pace picked up once I'd got used to the pattern. Then I was able to fill in the background colours, again counting very carefully and constantly rechecking my stitch positions.

However what really makes the border design pop is adding the backstitch. There is lots of backstitch in the border, some of it is simple straight lines and some is more fiddly, although once I'd done one of the outline sections I was able to copy that for the next ones rather than going back to the pattern. It really makes such a difference!

Now that I've finished this section I have more confidence when it comes to tackling the rest of the border. I've already started to work up the left hand side and I'm finding it all much easier. Even though I've only done part of the left hand section of the design I'm tempted to next finish the border all the way up to the top.

You can see what the finished design will look like in the picture below. I still have a long way to go but the whole thing is starting to feel a little more achievable, and I'm looking forward to working on the more interesting designs in the corner and the middle!

My current cross stitch project - Olde World Map by Janlynn

This post contains Amazon affiliate links

I thought I'd share a little bit about my current cross stitch project! I'm working on the Olde World Map by Janlynn (affiliate link) which was purchased as a kit a year or two back. It's a full kit containing everything that you need, with a completed size of 18" by 15".

I started the kit in December 2020. Sometimes when I start a long term craft project like this I set myself a vague deadline, thinking about when I'd like to see it finished, but there's no rush with this one, I just want to enjoy the process. I can see it taking several years to complete.

So far I've almost finished the left hand circular part of the map and I've started working on the background in the lower left of the design going into the wide border. I always start my cross stitch in the middle to make sure that the design is centred on the cloth, then I like get the borders in place so that I can see how the design is going to take shape.

I spent more time than I usually would sorting out this kit before I got started. I wound all the different coloured threads onto individual cardboard bobbins and then sorted them into small plastic bags based on their colour. I normally just leave the threads on the cardboard holed sorter that they come on and end up with a huge tangled mess, so this has made a big difference. 

Also for the first time I made myself a copy of the pattern to work from, in case I lose the original. It also means that I can mark the pattern if I need to. In some places it's not the easiest pattern to follow, and in particular some of the backstitch is quite difficult to work out. There are also lots of half stitches, and sometimes it's difficult to see which thread you should be using, so you have to guess a little bit.

It's an interesting design to stitch, with a variety of different types of stitching. There are full coverage areas, parts with lots of similar colours where need to pay close attention to the pattern while you stitch, and repetitive outlines and backstitching that you can work on while there are other distractions around you.  

I really love the design and I'm enjoying working on it. I think it's going to look really good when it's finished, and I've already lined up a spot for it on the wall of our dining room!