Here at the fountain's sliding foot...

I can finally let the cat out of the bag! Sanctuary is done, and has found its way to a new home chez JCB. The lovely Janet and I discovered the pattern together when out shopping after an excursion to last year's needlework show at Woodlawn, so I think it was a fitting tribute to our friendship. I put in the last few hemstitches during the snowstorm that blew through a week before Christmas. It was a perfect day to sit and stitch by a roaring fire--all kinds of plans were cancelled and we were trapped in the house while an eventual 17.5 inches of snow settled over the bushes.


Here is a close-up of the hemstitching. I am very happy with the way it turned out, though I will admit that the corners were not exactly done in the textbook manner. When I did them the way I was supposed to, they had little points, like witches' shoes, which was not exactly what I was hoping for, so I just fudged it a bit.


I think this little yellow flower is my favorite.


I'll be putting a few more shots on my flickr account. Farewell, Sanctuary! I enjoyed the hours we spent together, and I hope you enjoy your new home.

2009

2009 is coming to an end, as is my work on this lovely sampler. It has been a complete pleasure to work on--all the tiny details of flowers and leaves, insects and animals have made it easy to get lost in it for a few minutes or an hour or two. I love the way this design captures both the aesthetic and the spirit of the seventeenth-century garden, its regular compartments filled with a wide variety of specimens. I'm sorry this one will be done soon, but finishing holds the promise of a new project for the new year.


In the meantime, there won't be much stitching going on in the next few days, as we prepare to host friends and family for Thanksgiving. Hopefully this weekend will be full of leftover turkey and pumpkin pie, accompanied by a few minutes to work on the sampler...I hope to post another peek of my progress soon!

Design credit: Sanctuary by The Drawn Thread