Blackbird Designs: Christmas Garden

This is my 2012 BAP challenge about which I have forgotten to send monthly updates to Becky who started this challenge.   I am still keen on finishing this piece by the end of the year. 

So here is April's work.  Picture taken at the end of last month's work.

It continues to work up slower than I imagined it would.  There has been less restitching of misplaced motifs than previous months.  If I can get south of that horizontal dividing line with May's work then I will still be on track.

2012 Challenge: Blackbird Designs Christmas Garden

I worked on this at the beginning of February, putting it down only after stitching every single motif on the right side TWICE due to counting & positioning errors which could not be fudged.

So, not much project for actual acreage covered, but the amount of stitching is twice what you see.  This was a painful month with this design.  I hoped to pick it up again before March but I know now, with 4 days left to go in this month that that is just not going to happen.  If it wasn't for the Challenge I probably would not be picking this up in March but I will be.  See you about this then!

2012 Challenge: Blackbird Christmas Garden

After a couple of weeks of work on this I need to take a break to work on something else.

This is working up faster than I thought it would but that only counts if this is picked back up to continue.  

How many times have I put something down for awhile only to not return to it for years?   Don't answer that!

2012 Challenge: Blackbird Designs Christmas Garden

I couldn't wait any longer.  I spent an hour tossing floss against cloth.  After that it was only a matter of minutes before I hunted up some scroll rods. .

The cloth is more orange - antiqued than the photo shows.  The cloth is almost the color of the gold thread. 

Cloth: 36 ct. R&R Flax Fields

HDF silks: not a direct conversion to CC - just sort of eyeball to stash on hand:

Exemplar Crushed berries

BeLeaved

BeHived

Mystery - unlabeled mini brown color