Midi Framed

I believe this is the fastest framing job my husband has ever done. He got it done on Monday. The frame was one he'd ordered for a different project that didn't fit. It looks perfect with this, though.

After Two and a Half Years...

It's DONE! I finished Midi Mystery 2 yesterday. My husband already has the frame and just needs to order some mats and do the lacing and such. The one thing I'd change on this is the background fabric, given a choice. I like the lavender plants in the corners and I looove the Desert Shadows color of Waterlilies. This is my largest Chatelaine finish to date, even though I've been working for a longer time on Medieval Town Mandala.

All But the Beading

As of Friday, I was soooo close to finishing this. Everything but the beading is done and it was calling to me, so when it came up next in my rotation (yesterday), I just did a marathon beading session on it. I'll show you the results tomorrow.

Cross Stitches Done

Yay! I've finally finished all the cross stitches on this! Now all that's left is the specialty stitching for the last part and then all the beads for the whole piece. I feel like I can get it done before the end of the year and let it get framed. It'll be the largest Chatelaine piece I've finished yet, and the second one I ever started. The first one I started is the Medieval Town Mandala. It's only taken me two and a half years to get this done.

Starting to Skirt

I'm still working on this. It looks like I won't finish it before the end of the year without some luck, though. I started the bottom skirt of the girl in the middle. Evidently it's really stripy and purple. Once I have the skirt done, all that's left is beading, at least.

Queens

The queen stitches on the bodice are done. I don't really like how they look, and they were really hard to do. There are some mistakes in them, but I'm not redoing it. On to the rest of her tunic and skirt.

Blue Tunic

I got her face done this week and started filling out her tunic. This part is going pretty quickly. The face doesn't really have any contrast between the two colors - one overdyed and one plain - used. Maybe it'll show up more when she's outlined.

Half Crossed

This week I started her face. At first, I took her suggestion and did cross stitches over one. They looked too bulky, though, so I ripped them out and did continental stitch. I think it looks a lot better. The over one part went much more quickly than I thought it would. Only one more color and her head is done but for backstitching.

Hairy Time

This week I added some hair to the maiden in the middle. She's coming along again now that I'm back from seminar. I'm sooo close to being able to bead and finish this I can almost taste it.

Glittery Green

I'm once again working with this Treasure Braid color that reminds me of dayglo green. I'm not particularly thrilled with how it looked up top at the basket, but maybe it will be more tempered by other colors in the lady's dress. This is my last portion of the piece. Once I'm done putting her in, it gets beaded and then framed. Yay, so close! But I won't get any done for a couple weeks, I think.

... Is Half Done

I'm about halfway done with part five and even got a bit of part six done this week. I might even have part five done by the end of August.

Part Five Well Begun

Part five is mainly these two scrollwork bits. They have some backstitching and a couple of cross stitching inside, so they should go easily and quickly. I hope so!

Part Four Finished

I got all of Part Four's specialty stitches done. Now I need to do gold scrolling underneath the plaques. They're pretty much all outline, so it should go quickly. After that, the girl in the middle. It's finally beginning to come together.

Special Stitches Started

I started the specialty stitches this week. Lots and lots of algerian eyelets. They look good when done, but one thread in fifteen holes for each stitch, so it takes a while. When I finish them, though, part four will be done. Part five's a scroll on each side, mainly in gold metallic, and pretty quick.

Cross Stitches Done

Yay! I got the cross stitches done on Part 4. I'll be starting on the specialty stitches this week. There are a lot of them! Maybe I'll get them done and be able to move on to Part 5.

One Color to Go

I'm down to the last color to cross stitch on these plaques. I feel like I'm making real progress again on all my current projects, and just maybe I'll have this one done by the end of September.

More Celadon

Been working on filling in more green on the plaques. Can't work on it tonight; my bag's checked in all the way to the States and I'm in Paris at a hotel. Tomorrow I'll be home. It seems so long and so short a time simultaneously. I am going to miss there.

Going Green

Both of the middle plaques are now ready for their specialty stitches, and most of what is left cross stitch-wise on the plaques is the celadon green background color. Slow progress, but progress all the same.

Plaquing Along

I've got most of the colors done on the plaques. They're coming along, slowly, as everything these days. I'll be putting up more pictures of why things were slow last week in the next couple of days. Anyway, I like the look of these quite a bit.

Working Toward the Center

The plaques are coming along on this; the light pink and light blue for the flower outlines in the dense ones are done. It seems the middle plaques, with the least stitching to do, are the ones falling behind. I've done some work since this picture was taken, but not much. For some reason, I haven't really stitched this week.