{"id":135,"date":"2014-08-18T16:47:01","date_gmt":"2014-08-18T20:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeanfarishneedleworks.com\/wordpress\/?p=135"},"modified":"2015-11-06T13:54:25","modified_gmt":"2015-11-06T18:54:25","slug":"but-i-dont-like-the-colors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeanfarishneedleworks.com\/wordpress\/but-i-dont-like-the-colors\/","title":{"rendered":"But I Don’t Like the Colors!"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

You found just the thing you were looking for but the colors won’t go with your decor, or they aren’t your favorites, or you just don’t LIKE them!<\/p>\n

So, change them!<\/p>\n

But “how do you change colors in a published design?” you ask. It’s easy, I say.<\/p>\n

Here’s my secret to achieving a great color scheme: look in your closet and find the scarf or dress or whatever you love the most. Maybe you’ll find it in your husband’s closet. (Men’s ties have fantastic color schemes!)<\/p>\n

If nothing jumps out, go to a fabric store and find something you love. Buy a small bit — since you love it, you will use it for something!<\/p>\n

Next, match every color with a floss color. When you have this lovely bunch of colors, take the chart and see which ones can replace the colors you don’t like in the chart. You probably have a smaller bunch now. So on to the next step: you pull the colors from the chart you did not replace and see how they look with what you have so far.<\/p>\n

If everything looks good, you’re good to go. If not, tweak it until it looks good to YOU. You don’t need to please anyone but yourself.<\/p>\n

Case in point: Many, many years ago I attended\u00a0a needlework competition and was pleased to see my ‘Jannet Irving Sampler’ as one of the entries … only it was in blues and greens instead of reds and golds. I liked it.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The reproduction sampler.<\/p><\/div>\n

If I had had a phone back then that took pictures, I would have one to share here. But that was in the 1980’s and if I had had a picture-taking phone back then, I probably would have been talking technology start-up instead of cross stitch!<\/p>\n

Besides the fact that I am not Jannet Irving and didn’t stitch the original sampler, I would have liked it anyway. I publish cross stitch charts so that people can stitch them. Any. Way. They. Want.<\/p>\n

As I was admiring this sampler entry, a woman approached me rather shyly. She introduced herself as the stitcher of this entry and apologized (oh, no!!) for changing the colors. She mistook my shock so I very quickly assured her that no apology was needed.<\/p>\n

My take on changes which I shared then and my feeling now is this: stitch what you love in the way you love it. This is a hobby … a leisure time activity … a pastime … NOT a job! Let me add some emphasis here. According to dictionary.com, a pastime (noun) is “something<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>serves<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>make<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>time<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>pass<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>agreeably;<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>pleasant\u00a0<\/span>means<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>amusement,<\/span>
\n<\/span>recreation,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>or<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>sport.”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

If anyone (and I mean AnyOne) tells you otherwise, send them a link to this blog and tell them to get their own hobby.<\/p>\n

And if you want to stitch a replica of Jannet’s sampler in the colors you love, just go to my shop<\/a>!<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The original sampler, stitched by Jannet Irving, my daughters’ great-great-great-grandmother. She probably chose her own colors!<\/p><\/div>\n

Now, go stitch!<\/p>\n

.~ . ~ .~ . ~ .~ . ~ .~ . ~ .~ . ~ .~ . ~ .~ . ~ .~ . ~ .~ . ~ .~ . ~ .~ . ~ .~ . ~ .<\/p>\n

When you’re not busy stitching,\u00a0please\u00a0“like” the\u00a0Jean Farish Needleworks<\/a>\u00a0Facebook page, too!\u00a0This is the best place to make comments about this blog as I get way too many spammers if I allow comments here.<\/em><\/p>\n

Want to shop for\u00a0JFN designs? Go to\u00a0my Etsy shop<\/a>!<\/p>\n