filling in

 And today I started filling in some more areas:

I have more satin stitch to do, along with detached buttonhole for the center of the honeysuckle, the strawberries, and the tops of the acorns. 

I've been asked about working satin. I've learned a few things to try to make it smoother:

• Use a sharp needle. This lets you pierce the fabric threads so your stitches can be placed closer to each other. You may draw blood--I do--I just consider that I have added DNA to the record of the project.
• Try to stitch so the embroidery threads lie parallel to each other. If you need to change the direction of the stitches, gradually pivot around the curve from a central point.
• Focus on  what you're doing and take your time. I can tell by looking at what I stitched today when I was distracted and when I tried to stitch faster. This is a slow stitching project.

I used to be an electric needle. I'm trying to reform--I've decided that I may not get as many projects done in a year as other people, but I'm much happier with the way the finished projects look. It probably has a lot to do with being an OCD stitcher. 

This is definitely the only thing I'm OCD about.