Friday Update - "Celestial Dragon" by Teresa Wentzler

Hello, readers!  It is a balmy 91 degrees up here in Boston, which means that summer has officially arrived!  I know you can all appreciate how hard it is to stay inside and stitch when it's beautiful outside, but I have managed to get some cross stitching done this week.  If you are new to my blog, I am working on a design called "Celestial Dragon" by Teresa Wentzler.  The finished piece will be a monstrously huge 12.9" x 16.6" (32.8 cm x 42.2 cm) leviathan, so this one will take me awhile, but I am buckled down and ready to push onward!

I am still in my first corner, but I have finished the border and have started the dragon.  You can see two of his feet and the beginning of his blue serpentine body.  These colors, by the way, are WONDERFUL!  I love the brilliant blues, greens, and turquoises.

"Celestial Dragon" by Teresa Wentzler

Here is a close-up of the Chinese character ("virtue") in the lower left corner.  This character is stitched in two colors of royal blue, all over one thread, so the stitches are very tiny and neat.  I have included a penny for scale - this is 28-count fabric, so this can be a little tough on the eyes!  If you click on the picture, you can really appreciate the detail in the close-up shot.

Detail of "virtue" Chinese character block, with penny shown for scale

Here is a close-up of the dragon's body.  These stitches are made with two different colors of light blue and one strand of star blue Kreinik blending filament (#094).  I tried to capture the light reflecting off of the sparkly blending filament in this picture.  It was tough, but I think you can see some of the stitches sparkling!

Dragon's body, enlarged to show sparkling blending filament

This last photo is a close-up of the dragon's foot and his "fringe," both of which contain one strand of pearl Kreinik blending filament (#032).  Again, I tried to catch the sparkle in this shot, too, especially in the yellow and yellow-green areas.

Dragon's fringe (left) and foot (right), enlarged to show sparkling blending filament

The more I stitch this piece, the more I love it!  The colors and the textures are truly beautiful.  When the stitching is complete, the whole thing will then be peppered with gold and blue seed beads.  I will keep you posted on my progress!  :)

If you are itching for some project finishing tips, my framing tutorial will be posted on Daily Dose of Handmade this coming Sunday, so keep an eye out for it!

And, finally, IT'S FRIDAY!  Here's a happy Shiba Inu to welcome in the weekend.  :)

Thanks for your attention and your kind comments!  If you like what you see, please subscribe.  Have a great weekend, everyone - and stay cool!

-Erin

Less Bitching, More Stitching!