So I realize I didn't quite make the end of October target - in fact I finished this piece just this evening, right in time for Christmas tomorrow (it's intended as a Christmas gift for my...
So I realize I didn't quite make the end of October target - in fact I finished this piece just this evening, right in time for Christmas tomorrow (it's intended as a Christmas gift for my sister). I didn't get many early progress pictures, so all I have are some from the last couple of weeks. The whole thing is hand stitched, including the whipped edge.
Nearly finished piece without the outlining:
https://postimg.cc/kB5HYKnM
Outlined:
https://postimg.cc/7bHtb0Jh
Off the hoop, washed, cut, and whip-stitched.
https://postimg.cc/FfbGHH9C
I think I'd like to try some more variety on the types of stitches I use to fill areas next time. I pretty much only used basic back stitches and satin stitch for this. I tried a tight seed stitch initially for the dog's fur, but didn't like it and spent a whole evening picking it out.
I also found the process of washing the piece (this isn't strictly necessary but I had used water soluble pen to trace the image and needed to wash it to get the ink out) and cutting it very nerve-wracking. It took so damn long to sew and I was terrified I was going to fuck it up right at the end. There were a couple of spots where I felt like I didn't cut it quite as evenly as I wanted, but after adding the stitched edge you can't really tell at all. I also had no idea what I was doing when fusing the initial piece to the felt backing with interfacing, and the interfacing didn't fully adhere to the fabric in a few places, but it worked out fine.
All in all it took forever and there are a few noticeable mistakes, but overall I'm pretty proud of it and I'm hoping the next one doesn't take so long.