Myles has been my best friend for almost 20 years. When he and his partner Garry celebrated their civil partnership in 2013, I was delighted to be Myles’ Best Lady (female best man) and set about creating a special sampler to commemorate the day.

Their invitation design included rainbow colours and a golden age of cinema vibe.

I scanned a picture of the back of the invitation and imported it into my cross-stitch design software. Then I added the names, date and the phrase “A promise once spoken for all time unbroken” (from the poem Love is Giving) which was as much my wish to them as a couple as it is a reminder of the commitment they made that day.

Here is the final design.

I then set about matching the colours of threads to the invitations. Below is an image with standard DMC threads on the left and sparkly “light effects” DMC threads on the right. Ultimately I decided to go with the standard threads as they matched the colours in the invitation better and I incorporated the sparkle by using 32 count pearl flecked linen fabric.

When the stitching was complete, I hand washed and gently ironed the piece then took it to a professional framer who stretched the fabric and used a white mount with black edges and a silver frame to finish the piece.