Still Focusing ...

... on TW's Autumn Faerie. It continues to go slowly but at least progress is being made. And, I have been reminded of why this was set aside in the first place. Much as I love the final result, I can't help but wonder what is the point of setting just one stitch of a particular color in a piece that is 134x134 ... I've looked all through the four pages of the chart and can't see this symbol repeated anywhere. Oh, well, far it be it from me to question the genius of Teresa Wentzler! I have only one more of the seasonal faeries to do [the Winter Faerie] since neither my daughter, for whom these faeries are being stitched, nor I particularly like the Summer Faerie ... and I have already given her the Lilies of the Valley Faerie that first appeared as a magazine chart and the Spring Faerie from this leaflet ... so Angela will have a set of four ... we'll just re-christen the Lilies of the Valley Faerie as a Summer Faerie to make it an all seasons set. When I start the Winter Faerie, though, I am definitely going to start with the border ... the borders stitch up more quickly since you don't have that "stitch three or four stitches, switch needles, do another fifteen or so stitches, switch to another needle, do five more stitches..." thing going on in the border. Long lines of a single color going up and across the height and width of the design, with an inner border being only slightly smaller and the space between the two being filled with regular repeats of motifs using only four or five colors ... it gives one the immediate gratification of seeing a substantial portion of the design come to life quickly. Then one has the courage and the fortitude to deal with the fussier details of the actual faerie.

And because I can get obsessive at times, I did finish the Sisters and Best Friends First Day of Christmas ornament just because I am too stubborn to admit defeat. I am not liking it much but at least it is stitched. The finish will have to wait until after Christmas, though, since I have temporarily dismantled my sewing center ... I do need a dining room for holiday entertaining after all. I'll post a photo when I have done the sewing finish.