Lani's Autumn Leaves Is Done

Last night I finished the Lani "Autumn Leaves" design and this morning I checked it carefully for missed stitches. Do you like it? I am just as much in love with the mix of colors as when I started this piece, and it has taught me just how important technique is in stitching. I had no idea when we embarked on this "tent stitches only" piece just how much there would be to say about how to stitch it. We talked about starting and ending threads, about how to mix various types and brands of threads, and how to make every stitch look as perfect and as much like its neighbors as possible. Believe me, I'll be thinking about perfection on every stitch, no matter what it is, from here on out. It is a lot easier to be a sloppy stitcher on pieces with a mix of fancier stitches than it is on an all tent-piece. I appreciate more than ever before why ANG gives the Princess Grace Award at their annual exhibit to a piece done entirely in this stitch. This is not easy!

To recap, this is a Lani design on 18 count canvas. The rectangle is approximately 3 inches wide and 7 long and the design is the middle of a much larger pattern which she released in a large and a small version, I guess. I started this on May 7 and finished it June 28, and even though I worked on making up several small projects I finished this year and didn't stitch every night, it took a lot longer than I anticipated.

If you would like to see tent stitch perfection, check out ANG's "What is Needlepoint?" section of their webpage (it's hidden under Needlepoint Information). This area shows off award winning stitching from recent annual seminars. Look for the Princess Grace Award winners once you arrive. These folks did a fabulous job, all in tent.

http://www.needlepoint.org/whatis.php

My next move with Autumn Leaves is to see if I can find a red or ecru tote bag so I can applique the design to the front of it. I think this would look fabulous on a red bag and red's my mother's favorite color. AND she has a birthday in September....

Shush! Don't say a word to her!

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