Pattern creation 201

So last time I posted about creative throes of ... well... creation.

This time I am posting about all of that falling apart.

That's right.  The Doctor Who sampler I was working on, sweated over, whinged about, picked stitch after stitch after stitch out for..... has been dumped.

I hated it.  

There were centering issues.

I hated it.

So I took it back to the drawing board.

But instead of piecing paper together and doing it by hand I used my new PC Stitch program.

Lovely program.  A bit fiddly.  A bit annoying, but it makes pattern creation so much easier in the long run.

So.

I kept all the good bits, taking the time to put them into the program and arrange them where I thought they should go. 

 Then I put a border around it to hold it all together.

Then I added the bits that I thought of while stitching the other disaster.

Then I spent time looking at more historic samplers, causing me to trash more parts of the design and replace them with other bits.

Then I filled in the holes.

Now.  

Now I am very happy with my complete pattern.

The Tardis has been tweaked.  Her vanishing points are dealt with so much better..

There is actual lettering like a sampler should have.... the fact that they spell out "fantastic"  and "allons-y" are simple coincidence.  Honest.  

There are actual sampler bits.

There is sonic screwdriver, epic scarf and catch phrases.

I'm very happy.

Here.  See?

Sooo much more better.

Yes there is still that damned K-9.  Twice.  In all his fiddly bit glory. 

(but to be honest I worked too hard on him to set him aside)

.....and the link is now gone.  Watch for this pattern on both Etsy and Craftsy.

Pattern Creation 101

Most of you know that I have been in the throes of creation lately.

I got this really neat idea to do a mash-up with two of my favorite things

Science Fiction

and

Historical Samplers

For my very first attempt I have been using Doctor Who and a mishmash of sampler exemplars.

It has been interesting to say the least.

All consuming to say the most.

I'm not exactly sure how one really does go about designing a piece of stitchery but I started with deciding the subject matter and medium... Doctor Who and counted stitches, mainly cross stitch.  Why?  I don't know... but I believe it is because they have been foremost in my brain of late, what with my new friends on Instagram and what not...

Anyway.

The next logical step to me was figuring out the elements, which is where I sat down with a sketch pad, google search and a sketchy memory of past viewed samplers and went to work.  

This is what I came up with.

Delighted with this start I began to pick out the different elements and work the charts for them.  Naturally, since all good cross stitchers start in the middle, and it really is the centerpiece of the thing, I started with the TARDIS.  

Let me tell you, angles and vanishing points are NOT easy to do on a grid!  

I think I have come up with a happy compromise.

Then I went on to  work out the top bar and worked down and around the center piece, finally winding up at the bottom.

I have included elements of some of my favorite people and things in the series.  River Song's "Hello Sweetie"... K-9 from the Sarah Jane days... Roses for, well, Rose... and "Oy!  Spaceboy! from the beloved Doctor Donna.  There are also symbols from Gallifrey, a favorite quote from a Doctor long gone and some alphabet spelling out Doctor Who.

Here is the pattern I have made and am currently working from.

It is not perfect.

I made mistakes.

(like K-9 being charted on upside down... don't ask)

I am noting and changing as I go.

I am also color coding as I figure out the shading.  Colored pencils are my friend! 

The design is 140 stitches wide by 290 stitches tall.

Here is what I have stitched so far.

Notice the rose border is completely different from the one graphed.  Started stitching it... hated it.  Love this new one and very glad I changed it.  Don't like the letters, and don't like the open spaces.  But.  I will wait to get all the other things on before I decide if I need to add fiddly bits as fill in or not.

So.  Now you are up to date on what I have been so busy with.

I will tell you the next original pattern is done and waiting its turn to be stitched.  

I will also tell you I made a fun little pattern from an internet meme that amused me to no end.  

Next time I think I will put the pattern up here for your enjoyment.

The last thing I will tell you is the next geek sampler is already ruminating in my brain, along with ideas for ones to follow....  the subject of the next geek sampler you ask?  

Star Trek.  Duh.

Followed by Hellboy and Firefly.

:-D