Posting a day late, since the 4th is my monthly giveaway day.
BAP: Teresa Wentzler's Tracery Dragons. Wentzler Wednesday morphed into the Wentzler Weekend because backstitching can become addictive. Especially in a Teresa Wentzler design where backstitching pulls the whole piece together. I am falling in love with this project all over again as it comes to life beneath my hands. I wonder how many other needleworkers have such an on again/off again relationship with the more complex pieces they stitch. It is almost marital: good days, bad days, with an underlying committment and love. I am including a few detail shots as well as the usual full piece photo. Just wanted to share with you all just how many quarter stitches and back-stitches go into a TW rose. Is it any wonder that I find these roses the most difficult motifs to stitch in this entire piece? I haven't dared to look at page 1 of the chart to see how many roses are left. I'd rather not know till it's time to tackle them. And then there is the border filled with a tacked herringbone stitch. It was time consuming but the final effect is pretty spectacular. I am a little more than halfway through with this project, having completed pages 2 and 3 of the cross-stitch and very nearly done with pages 2 & 3 of the back-stitch charts. 
It has taken me much longer to get this far than I thought it would. This was my Day 10 project in the Crazy January Challenge and after the initial one day in January, I put this in my stitching rotation on June 2nd. I foolishly thought I'd have it ready for the framer by the end of July. Realistically, I'll be thrilled to manage a mid-October finish but would not be surprised by a mid November finish either. The complexity of this design makes it necessary to switch off every so often with much more straightforward projects. My stitching sanity pretty much hangs in the balance. And to further cut into my stitching time, this is a pretty busy season professionally: the start up of the school year with all the meetings, trainings, classes and paperwork. Things smooth out briefly just before Christmas and then heat up again in January.
Ornament: Got a start a nice start on Aury's 2011 Quaker Heart on Thursday while in a doctor's waiting area. The idea was to have it done by September 11 rhough I am not sure I will manage that.
BAP: Teresa Wentzler's Tracery Dragons. Wentzler Wednesday morphed into the Wentzler Weekend because backstitching can become addictive. Especially in a Teresa Wentzler design where backstitching pulls the whole piece together. I am falling in love with this project all over again as it comes to life beneath my hands. I wonder how many other needleworkers have such an on again/off again relationship with the more complex pieces they stitch. It is almost marital: good days, bad days, with an underlying committment and love. I am including a few detail shots as well as the usual full piece photo. Just wanted to share with you all just how many quarter stitches and back-stitches go into a TW rose. Is it any wonder that I find these roses the most difficult motifs to stitch in this entire piece? I haven't dared to look at page 1 of the chart to see how many roses are left. I'd rather not know till it's time to tackle them. And then there is the border filled with a tacked herringbone stitch. It was time consuming but the final effect is pretty spectacular. I am a little more than halfway through with this project, having completed pages 2 and 3 of the cross-stitch and very nearly done with pages 2 & 3 of the back-stitch charts. 
It has taken me much longer to get this far than I thought it would. This was my Day 10 project in the Crazy January Challenge and after the initial one day in January, I put this in my stitching rotation on June 2nd. I foolishly thought I'd have it ready for the framer by the end of July. Realistically, I'll be thrilled to manage a mid-October finish but would not be surprised by a mid November finish either. The complexity of this design makes it necessary to switch off every so often with much more straightforward projects. My stitching sanity pretty much hangs in the balance. And to further cut into my stitching time, this is a pretty busy season professionally: the start up of the school year with all the meetings, trainings, classes and paperwork. Things smooth out briefly just before Christmas and then heat up again in January.HOE: I have it all assembled and in its handy dandy mailer. I'll take it to the Post Office on Tuesday. Three days late to be sure but sometimes life gets in the way. Will post a photo when I have word that it was received.
Ornament: Got a start a nice start on Aury's 2011 Quaker Heart on Thursday while in a doctor's waiting area. The idea was to have it done by September 11 rhough I am not sure I will manage that.All in all, not a bad start for the month.
6 comments:
Beautiful progress on your TW piece. I always feel a little blue when a BAP comes to an end. Those final stitches are usually bittersweet. Happy in anticipation that you'll be selecting a new project, sad your a finishing after spending so much time on one piece. I love the colors in this one and have enjoyed watching it grow.
Great progress! The backstitching really does make the piece. I find backstitching tedious but you're right it's more the getting started, then it seems to flow. Enjoy! Nancy (over in Westchester)
The backstitching makes the design on a Wentzler piece--and that herringbone border is very intriguing. But, oh, those quarter stitches!!!
The TW is beautiful - can't wait to see the finish! And the heart is coming along well. Keep up the good work!
This is such a beautiful piece, and your backstitch is sooooo neat and even! I love the close-ups.
I just love TD Riona. It's sooooo gorgeous!! Great progress, on everything. Good luck with a mid Oct finish on them!!
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