Yes, I finally finished 'I See Red" by The Scarlett House which I stitched on 28 ct. Antique White linen using Gentle Arts Endive. When I realized I had enough February display pieces, but not enough March pieces I made the decision to switch to a green and use it for St. Patrick's Day. As it turns out I do like stitching alphabets and I figured it didn't make any difference what color this piece was stitched in. While there is a little over one done, most of it was over two...another selling point. Since the total design measures approx. 7" x 5". when complete it works up pretty quickly so in just a few days it was finished. When you've struggled to stitch getting pieces done quickly helps get you going again. After it was finished I faced the dilemma of how to finish it for display. Initially, I had thought I'd be hanging it on a hornbook (one of my favorite finishes). But it's a little too big as we didn't have a big enough hornbook to use and of course I didn't want to wait to get one in. So then it's a pillow or frame, which just didn't inspire me, but then I decided to make it into a drum. Usually, my drums are larger in diameter than this as it would be less than 2" in diameter, but I decided to ignore that and move ahead. The top went fine, but after stuffing it and then starting to attach the bottom my circle of mat board was a lforittle to large, so I cut it down a little and began the process. I used WDW wool on the bottom and began the attachment and a little voice in my head kept saying, take it apart and cut a little more off, but I refused to listen to that voice kept attaching, and when I was on the last 1/2" I was kicking myself for not listing to that little voice. This became a pain because the round was still a little too large but I finished it anyway and made it work. Because of that, I had to use something to cover the join. I didn't have any Lady Dot Chenille in the color I wanted (and of course I wouldn't go to the shop and get it), but I did have a dark green pom-pom trim that did look fine. Because the drum was already finished I had to cut the edging off the pom-poms and I then attached it to the drum. Then, of course, I wanted pins to put in the drum for the presentation. (presentation is everything, right?) I got out all my bead cases and my green beads were too bright and shiny and the wrong color green. Then I realized the beads I purchased for fall (which didn't work out for fall) were perfect for this. Their color is similar to camouflage colors, greens, browns, and rust. So now the drum and pins are together and look like they go together beautifully. I learn something with each finish. With this, I learned the size of the mat board I use is extremely important and needs to be the right size rather than fudging it. But a great project my first sampler drum...but I have a feeling it won't be my last.
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