Welcome to the third and final entry in this conversion series. I expected to publish this 3 months ago – but life got in the way! Better late than never, though….
There are only two designs from Lavender & Lace that use the 2100 “Robin’s Egg” Needlepaints series, but both rely heavily on them…and in both cases, they are used in conjunction with the 2001-2006 Lavender Blue series. So, we will be keeping that in mind as we explore this color conversion.
The 2101 – 2106 “Robin’s Egg Blue” Series
Marilyn’s Recommended Substitutes: DMC 500 – 504
It’s not too bad, all things considered.
Marilyn’s recommendation is to use the five DMC shades 500 – 504 to create six shades. Ostensibly, you would blend 500 and 501 to get 2105. If you’re too lazy to blend (no judgment here!), Anchor 879 sits nicely in the gap between 501 and 500.
It’s too green, all the way through, but especially on the dark end, but it’s not irredeemable. And if you’re stitching pine boughs (like on Secret Santa), you’re likely to be happy with the result.
If you’re stitching Celtic Summer, I personally would err on the side of blue rather than green. So let’s explore our options in that regard.
A Flash of Blue Silk
Probably not a surprise, there is no blue conversion in DMC or anchor that is remotely satisfying. So, over to the silks we go. Again, Needlepoint Inc is my go-to, since their luster is subtle, dye lots are relatively stable, and they make complete sets of shades.
Here, I think your main choices are Williamsburg Blue, Jade, or Iris Blue – or some combination thereof.
Iris Blue is definitely Blue. Jade is Green and rather bright in the midtones, though an excellent match on the light and dark ends. Williamsburg is very nice in the deeper tones but a little gray on the lighter shades. But there are definitely some choices to work with here.
But how do they play together?
Here is a look at the original combination of Needlepaints 2000 and 2100 series. It’s good to understand the goal!
And here’s a look at two potential substitutions – the DMC cottons and a mix’n’match Needlepoint silk with Celtic Summer in mind. Bear in mind the silk comes with an extra cost – it’s about $5/skein at this writing. So, choose what works for you!
So What’s the Upshot?
Well – you have choices, and you can’t go too far wrong sticking with the recommended cottons. If you purchase a kit from us, you can expect us to substitute as follows:
For Secret Santa, the DMC 500 – 504 range plus Anchor 879.
For Celtic Summer, NPI 522, 524, 323, 324, 325, 327 ( a mix of Jade & Williamsburg).
And that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this conversion series. Be sure to check out the other two posts in the series: