Project Cross Stitch: The Crown

There were plenty of late nights this past week/weekend, and I spent quite a bit of that time trying to keep my promise from last week to make sure some color found its way into this cross stitch.

On Friday night, I completed the full black outline, which consists of easily 8x more stitches than even the next most used color (which happens to be white). I immediately snagged a few pictures (see below), because I knew that by adding color, it would change the entire piece. Like a tattoo, there's a beauty to the basic black/gray outlines, and part of me felt the merest satisfaction that she was "done," as is. No color needed.

But of course, that just wouldn't suffice. I'm in this for the long haul, and for my first color, I knew it had to be the one that offered the most contrast. And this bright, ruby red, certainly does that! There will be more red spattered throughout the hair and the decorative rose. My plan is to tackle one color at a time—rather than trying to complete a specific area. It all should move a lot more quickly now, since counting stitches won't be as time consuming, or for that matter, risky. It's amazing the extreme delays being off by one stitch can create.

How about you? Are you working on any of your own projects? Are they coming along the way you'd like? I'd love to know!

Black/Blue Outline Completed: