Moving right along on "The Chase"

Well, I have finally finished all the flora and fauna at the bottom of the sampler. There was a ton of detail on the animals. Then they all had to be outlined, so it took some time.

The berries were interesting to work. The berry itself was worked in a darning stitch. First I made several long vertical stitches. Then the thread was actually woven under and over the long stitches to create the effect. Then the berries were outlined with the outline stitch.

Now I am working on filling in the landscape. It is all done in a long outline stitch.

This part surprised me. I thought it would go faster (no going back and forth to the pattern). The long outline stitch is a little tricky on this fabric. If it were done on 28 or 32 count, even 36 or 40 count linen, the holes would be easier to find. This is the older kind of Belgian linen that is very dense. It is often necessary to puncture the fabric to get the needle through.

We are all used to working horizontally, but the long-outline stitch is worked vertically.

You have to be careful, especially in the long runs along the border, to keep the lines relatively straight. There is a tendency for them to "lean".

This part is going very slowly, but atleast I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Next, I will have to figure out how to proceed with the verse and the signature.

By now, I am just itching to finish this!

I still haven't decided what my next project will be.

I do have to work on my braided rug again, so I am looking for something light to work on in-between.