November 30, 2021

A Dragon Finish

This working on projects consistently thing actually works to get them to the finish line! Who would have thought?? 

I started the WIPS-B-GONE challenge to get a little accountability to finish my dragon cross stitch and I'm so happy that it is now finished.
'The Caste" dragon cross stitch | DevotedQuilter.com
This is The Castle, designed by Teresa Wentzler, and I started it close to 20 years ago. Mostly it just sat untouched, but every now and then I'd pick it up for a few days and then it would languish again. Once I started working on it for WIPS-B-GONE, I was amazed by how quickly I could make progress. Even though some days I could only spend 15 minutes at it, those bits of work still added up.

I shared my dragon a few weeks ago, when the cross stitching part was finished and I was ready to start the backstitching. Here's a side-by-side comparison to show the difference the backstitching makes. Isn't it amazing how the simple backstitching lines make the whole thing come into focus? It doesn't hurt that I pressed it before taking the finished picture, too.
'The Caste" dragon cross stitch | DevotedQuilter.com
I love the details of the face and around the castle towers.
'The Caste" dragon cross stitch | DevotedQuilter.com
And the details in the wing.
'The Caste" dragon cross stitch | DevotedQuilter.com
I've always loved rocks, so it makes me happy that the pattern includes so much variation in the rocks, even if it did feel like it took forever to stitch around them.
'The Caste" dragon cross stitch | DevotedQuilter.com
I'm planning to have the dragon professionally framed, but I'm not sure when that will happen. There are no framers in our town, so it requires a trip to a city two hours away, then another trip again to pick it up after it's ready. It definitely won't be waiting 20 years this time, though!

10 comments:

  1. Congratulations! Beautiful piece, the backstitching shows all the details. Sign the piece and date it.

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  2. Oh wow, congratulations on the finish, Leanne. This definitely deserves a beautiful framing job. And thanks for sharing the side by side of before and after backstitching; what an impressive change it makes!

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  3. Lovely!
    When you take it to be framed, you might ask if they can ship it back to you. I find in the current circumstances lots of small businesses are willing to do extras like that.

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  4. Yeeeeess! The definition provided by the backstitching makes all the difference. Congratulations on this beautiful finish -- it was worth the wait!

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  5. Congrats on the finish! Wow, that backstitching really does make the features in the piece pop. Do you have an idea about what kind of frame you want to put it in or will you leave that up to the framing shop? Would be great to have this ready to hang up for the start of the New Year. WIPS-B-GONE works!!

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  6. CongratulationsI Your dragon is beautiful! I like Kate's suggestion of asking if the piece can be shipped back to you. It would be worth not driving two hours and likely shipping would be less than the expense and time involved!

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  7. I bet that's nice closure. It's fantastic! I love the before and after. Pressing it is kinda like in make-up before and after shots where the lady only smiles in the "after" shot. But there sure is a difference.

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  8. Well done! It's amazing. Congrats on the finish.

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  9. Congratulations! I made that one 25 years ago and I know how much work it was! I have another Teresa Wentzler dragon in progress that I really should pull out and work on again. Hopefully next year. LOL

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  10. It's just wonderful to see how successful your WIPs Be Gone efforts have been. I know how easily a "few minutes a day" can add up to become a finish. Good for you to have launched this idea, and that it's panning out for you. Back in the early 1990s, when I owned/operated a stitchery shop, I made oodles and oodles of counted cross-stitch pieces. Now-a-days, I don't have a single one of those items hanging on my walls. Though I kept a few pieces when we moved (nearly ten years ago) I mostly have fond memories of my projects, many of which involved dozens and dozens of hours. So, I totally understand what it took to finish this stunning dragon. Good for you!

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