Summer Sampler!

A few months ago, I discovered a local Needlepoint Store and dragged a few friends along.  In preparation, I asked around about nice wedding sampler patterns, and discovered one by Teresa Wentzler that I liked.  The colors were not quite as warm as I wanted.  That was okay, I figured, since I could just replace them with slightly different shades at the store.

As it turns out Theresa Wentzler has hundreds of shades in each project.  That replacement went poorly at best.  I decided to leave them alone and make one as is.  If it's really not my style, I'll make it for my cousin (I have to make one for her anyway, and she's always liked cooler colors), and then try to replace some of the colors now that I know how it works.

I didn't want to start on the Wedding Sampler, though, as my first foray into needlepoint in a matter of years, and have it end up warped; I purchased a set of Season Samplers to supplement.

Over the last few months, I have been working on and off on this Sampler, and I have finally finished it!  I am so ecstatic!

The longest part, by far, was the over-one plateau.  About halfway into the sampler, I figured I was almost done, because all I had left was the ribbons/bead (which I saved for last) and the over-one section.  Boy was I wrong!  That's when it hit me - the over-one won't take twice as long, it will take four times as long, since each stitch is one-fourth of the size of an over-two stitch.  Oft course I wasn't almost done!

As you can see there are small sparkly beads in the border, and the ribbon flowers repeat from the border as french knots in two separate places.

I am in love!