Stitched - Blanket Stitch Sampler

Here is the first of a series of traditional hand stitched samplers I am working on for my City & Guilds course in Stitched Textiles and Design course at Stitchbusiness. I used two shades of Anchor stranded cotton and two shades of stranded silk. The fabric is Zweigart 27 count Meran (60% viscose, 40% cotton), it is the first time I used this fabric and it was a joy to work with. I like textured evenweaves and this is soft, handles very well and has a little bit of a soft sheen to it.

As for the stitching, my favourite is the second line/band from the top (stitched in champagne and pale grey silk), it reminds me of reflections at the water's edge. The next line/band down is the one I'm least sure about. I'm pleased with the effect of using a single strand of the rust coloured cotton floss and glad to have tried that, but I think in combination with the brown floss the pattern as a whole is maybe a little overcomplicated.

All in all I am very happy with the finished piece and I had some lovely feedback from my tutors - can't wait to start the next sampler!