Ring the Bells - Metallic Colourway Options

A while ago someone suggested that I stitch Ring the Bells with metallics - and that is just what I have done!  I think the metallic version looks quite spectacular - it's shiny an it's gold - what's not to love!!

Something I really like about this piece is that it is a good one to play with thread weights, especially the garland.  If you want more coverage of the mesh, pick a heavier weight.  If you want less coverage, use a lighter weight.  It's up to you.  This piece was a quick stitch for me (I managed it in 2 sittings - about 4 hours) - it would have been easy to test out different threads as I was preparing to stitch the first row of garland.

Ring the Bells is a companion piece to Oh Christmas Tree.  Once you get the bargello pattern down pat, it stitches up quickly.  The best part, it can be framed easily as it fits perfectly in an over-the-counter frame.  I've put mine in a 5" x 7" frame with a 3 1/2" x 5" mat opening both of which I purchased at our local Michael's store.  If you want it to go into a 4" x 6" opening - all you need to do is expand the size of the bargello background so that it is just a little larger than the matt opening.

For the garland and backstitching I used Rainbow Gallery Treasure Braid HG88 - I like that it is a little narrower than the gold Kreinik - it looks lacy.  You could easily use a heavier metallic braid - #12 if you would like more coverage.  The RG Treasure Braid is the equivalent of a #8 metallic.

I also decided to leave off the beads on the main part of the bell (I added them for just the top ring and the ones that attach the ringer to the bell.  It just feels finished.  

I did the garlands in red, but you could easily change the colour to blue, green, purple or any other colour that you choose. 

Here are a few options -  Rainbow Gallery Silk Lame Braid SL14 (blue), Rainbow Gallery Entice E277(green) and Kreinik #12 012HL (purple)

You could also change the colour of the bell itself.  I chose a lighter gold, but bronze or a deeper gold (old gold) would be just lovely!  Play around and have some fun.  You might end up stitching a series of bells!