Already October?

How did it get to be October already?

If time flies when you're having fun, I must be having the time of my life!

I did start a new flower for the Tudor project yesterday:

This one has layers and layers of stuff, so I imagine it's going to take a couple of fairly long stitching sessions to get it all done. I have one more motif (also involving layers and layers of stuff)--then I will move to the final big stage. All these elements have to be appliquéd to the fabric holding the rest of the motifs, and then the appliqués have to be embellished. I keep feeling like the end is in sight, but it's still a good ways away.

Then I moved to Christmas is Coming:

I found that working the tree in diagram rows seems to work faster than going back and forth.

Barbara always encourages making changes in her designs if you don't like the stitch she used. In fact, she provides diagrams of optional stitches that would work over the same number of threads.

And I made a change.

The zigzag row below the lettering is supposed to be done in eyelets, worked over two threads. I have mentioned before that I have problems with teeny eyelets. No matter how careful, mine always look scraggly and misshapen.  So, I auditioned a couple of other stitches. Actually, I was thinking about rice stitches for the texture, but it turned out that they had too much texture and looked heavy and lumpy at this scale. I wanted to have something that looked light and airy, the way the eyelets would have looked, but I didn't want to do plain old cross stitches.

But upright crosses . . . hmmm . . . they looked light and airy . . . and could be interpreted as stars . . . so  I went with upright crosses. And I like them!

So, back to work--a few hours of flower and then on to Christmas stitching!