It's Finally Finished!

It's been quite a while since my last blog post.  I hope that it's not this long until I post again.

I finally finished Maureen Appleton's Splendor I.  As I mentioned before, it's the second time around on the project. (Photo from Round 1)  If I had had the patience to be diligent about my stitch placement on the first try, I would not have had a "do-over".  But I always imagined this piece hanging on my wall.  Maureen's pattern was dated 1999, as you can see, I finished mine 13 years later.  I'm not how long after the pattern was published that I purchased it, but I've had it quite a while.  I guess I've finally gained the patience my mother always told me I needed.  I'm glad she never gave up on me, and I'm glad I never gave up on this!

Without further ado, I'd like to present Maureen Appleton's Splendor I.

 Stitched on 32-count Glensheen Linen
one thread of floss over one thread of fabric.

And the circle is unbroken

It's been a while, but I've been off working on the border of Spendor I.  I finally finished it and the stiches lined up perfectly!  There's a few stitches that need to be added here and there, but I'll be certain to add those before I say it's completed. So, now that the pressure is off, I can relax and stitch the motifs of the center.  This photo isn't the greatest but shows the progress.  Enjoy!

Progress

I've made some progress on my Maureen Appleton, "Splendor I" cross stitch.  I'm trying to get the border done -- if it doesn't work out that the pattern lines up properly, I'll have to cry.  But I have my fingers crossed. 

I've also decided that my New Year's Resolution will be that I will buy no new sewing projects in 2012.  I have plenty of them waiting for me to complete.  I'll do my best to keep make posts of the projects and progress of these.  With that being said, I have two days to buy backing and batting for Nolan's airplane quilt.  I'm debating whether to hand quilt it or have it machine quilted.  I'm thinking a hand quilted quilt would be a nice Grandma project, but I know myself and wonder how long it will take me to get it done!

The Do-Over

Years ago I fell in love with Maureen Appleton's Splendor I.  The fabric is 32-count Glensheen Linen and uses one thread of floss over one thread of fabric.  It's fine work and requires that I use a magnifying lens to  stitch.  I worked the piece on and off for years--completing this much of the design:

As the years passed, I've become more patient with my work and wasn't happy with the piece because the stitches were no longer lining up as they should.  I tried to find the errors, but removing stitches in something stitched like this is very difficult (because you can't see them), so I made a painful decision and decided to start over. 

 This time I'm being very careful and checking the stitch placement often, but I can see this hanging on my wall and look forward to the day I finally finish it!  Stayed tuned for updates!