Fighting with a Hummingbird

 Not a real one. A stitched one.

I've spent far too many hours over the last few days trying to get this damn bird to look like it has feathers. I have finally decided that I'm done. Done, done, done. I've also decided that if I look at it from across the room, it's okay, and that once all the bling is added, maybe the feathers won't be as important.

As usual, the problem is that I can't stitch random. There were about two hours of videos on this part of the design that literally showed where each stitch should be placed, but when I started, my brain and my hands said nope, they don't work that way, random bothers them.

This is not my first rodeo with silk shading/thread painting--and I haven't been happy with any of the previous attempts either.

Today I think I'll try to get the wings stitched--they're satin stitch and I like doing satin--and then I'll start the metal threads.

And just accept the fact that random isn't my thing.