I have to say, this is much more my kind of stitch. I'm colouring outside the lines again... it matches the fairly rough and ready nature of the prints. Here's a closer look...
Proof, if proof were ever needed, that I couldn't do a straight line if you paid me for it. Partly that's to do with the lutradur (like I need an excuse...).... I'm used to working with at least two layers of cloth, one of which is normally wadding, or maybe velvet; this is a single layer of lutradur, and the foot is levitating above the cloth. Every twitch of the hand shows in the stitch because it's so light, it moves in a disproportionate manner. My hands are clearly very twitchy. Overall, though, I don't think it detracts; it's unusual to look so closely at one particular section, like this, divorced from the whole. And had it been a big deal to have straight stitch, I would have used a walking foot, rather than a darning foot, and all would have been...errr...regular...and probably boring.
Note the distortion, too, again to do with the weight of the cloth. I think it'll iron out to a great extent, and I think it gives the piece some character...it seems to age it, a bit, the way that old paper distorts and crinkles slightly as it gets older.
I ran out of steam half way through the second leaf, but it'll get done, slowly, but steadily. I meant to take images of the back, but forgot; part of the reason for the intensity of the stitch is that the reverse side is significantly paler than the front, unsurprisingly. I'm using a darker thread on the reverse, and it seems to be working reasonably well. More to follow as I work through the pages.
