Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Gilded Cabochons - Updated 3/9/22

March 9, 2022--Won 1st Place Ribbon in the Canvaswork-Multi-stitch category at Woodlawn's 59th Annual Needlework Exhibition in Alexandria, VA.  So pleased.

September 5, 2021--Just had this project framed at Michael's Arts & Crafts and love how formal it looks.  Now to find a special spot in the house to place it.


Gilded Cabochons Framed

July 1, 2021--Fini, Done, Finished!  Yay.  I don't know why I procrastinated so long before tackling the stuffed detached buttonhole oval and rectangular cabochons, but I did.  I found every excuse under the sun not to buckle down and just DO IT!  Well, this morning, I finally did just that--I DID IT!  

Fortunately Debbie Rowley has some wonderful videos attached to her Zoom classes which explain easily what to do.  Mine aren't exactly in the perfect category, but to most eyes, it'll look fine.  Now off to the framer I go.

Gilded Cabochons Completed

BTW, I did not add two rows of extra stitching around the edge for easier framing as I wrote about in May (see below).  Just couldn't wait to get this off the stretcher bars and now hope my framer can deal with any wonkiness that may have occurred.


May 14, 2021--Plugging along on the lower left quadrant, just a bit past Lesson 11.  Hospitalizations, surgeries, etc. for both myself and my husband have slowed down my stitching immensely.  But I really love this project and want to complete it more than ever.  

I'm also trying to figure out if I should stitch a row of 2 threaded satin stitch around this thing so the framer has a teensy bit play of room for mat placement.  This extra bit of color is becoming important for a few reasons:  1) the canvas may be a bit wonky and isn't as straight as it should be for matting; 2) I'm mounting the canvas incorrectly on the stretcher bars--pulling too tightly on one edge vs. the other causing the edges to warp.  Either way, blocking doesn't seem to fix this, so satin stitching around the edge may be the easiest solution.


Gilded Cabochons through Lesson 11


April 25, 2021--The upper left quadrant is completed and ready for the detached buttonhole stitch to be worked up in the rectangle and lower right quadrant.   Don't know if I'll do that now or wait until everything else is done.  We'll see....  Here are photos of my progress to date.  Love all the shine and texture.

Gilded Cabochons through Lesson 10




Gilded Cabochons through Lesson 10 Side View

February 14, 2021--Finished stitching the lower right quadrant through Lesson 6.  I'm leaving the area open for a cabochon which is done using the detached buttonhole stitch.  There is a cabochon in another quadrant which utilizes this same stitch, so I'll do both at the same time after I practice a bit in the margin.   Will pick this up again in a month or so.  

Gilded Cabochons through Lesson 6


November 15, 2020--The right quadrant, through Lesson 4, is stitched.  Whew--this is definitely a learning process for me so please don't be distracted by the bad stitching.  I can't tell you how many sections I've had to rip out due to miscounting or just getting the stitch sequences wrong.  My eye doctor tells me I'm ready for cataract surgery, and I guess she's right.  I do love the thread colors and how much dimension there is to the "cabochons" and center medallion.  I'm going to take a break before starting another quadrant, picking this up after the holidays (but maybe sooner).


Gilded Cabochons Through Lesson 4 (Right Quadrant)
Gilded Cabochons Through Lesson 4 (Right Quadrant)
Side View

November 5, 2020--ANG CyberPointers Chapter offered Gilded Cabochons by Debbie Rowley as an online class beginning in October, 2020.  I love this type of project, so immediately signed up opting for the Blue Topaz colorway.  So far I've managed to complete the stitching through Lesson 2.  This is an immense challenge--I've either forgotten how to count or need new glasses, or both.  There's a lot of shine and dimension which hopefully you can see in the second photo.  I'm muddling through and below are the results:



Gilded Cabochons Through Lesson 2


Gilded Cabochons Through Lesson 2 Side View

Below is a list of threads used for this project:



  1. This looks amazing and difficult!

  1. So beautiful - can't wait to see the next installment

  2. Where can I find this pattern? It is really beautiful.

    Replies
    1. Hi garthgirl. This is a teaching piece by DebBees Designs offered through ANG CyberPointers Chapter. You might want to contact her through her website to learn when she'll offer it again. Good luck.

  3. Gorgeous. Can’t wait to see it finished

  1. Hope you're feeling better. I always like seeing this piece.

  2. I love this piece and understand why you want to finish it ! Hope you and your family are feeling better.

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