2nd Place, Professional Non-Original With Instruction

Harbor Haven, designed by Donna Bayliss, was offered for sale through several needlework shops in 2018. The designer serialized instructions over a 12-month period starting from left to right on the design.

Decisions regarding thread choice and fabric were suggested; I chose to work this Harbor Haven on 40-count platinum linen using Soi d’Alger silk thread. In retrospect, using silk was a bit of a waste since most of the stitching is petite point, over one stitching, on a 40-count ground. I believe the same texture could have been achieved using DMC cotton floss, but lesson learned for future consideration.

As I worked this design, there are a few small areas where I added texture not called for in the instructions such as French knots on the sheep and flowers and tiny thread painting stitches on the two herons. The leaves on the large trees found on the far left and far right are stitched in tiny over-one cross-stitches instead of tent stitches used throughout the rest of the design. I also designed and worked a simple, three-step border surround that I found less distracting to the primary design than those provided by the designer.

This was another stash-retrieval, covid lock-down, project started and finished in 2020. Taking 1/12th of the design at a time was less intimidating than struggling with the whole pattern at one time.