I remember buying this pattern with my dad and aunt in a cross-stitch store in Nebraska. I started this project with the best of intentions, but it became my first (and only!) UFO. I've recently dug it up, but unfortunately it is badly stained from oils from my hands that had been allowed to stay there since 1994.

I'm attempting to clean up the fabric, and if I can make it presentable, I'm going to try and finish this, it really is a pretty piece. The first picture is from the front of the kit, the second is a scan of my current status. The hoop/oil stains aren't overly apparent in the scan.

January 2, 2004

February 8, 2004

Thanks to the wonder that is OxyClean, my piece is clean again. Desperate times, desperate measures. I do not recommend any sort of detergent unless catastrophe strikes.

I'm working on this on my new lap stand, courtesy of my father. (Thanks Dad!) It seems like the two handed stitching is going to do wonders for my carpal tunnel issue, so I'm excited.

Unfortunately, the topmost rose I did with the incorrect number of strands (2 instead of the 3 that the kit suggested, and what I had stitched with 10 years ago). I haven't decided what to do with it for sure yet, but chances are that I'll rip it out and redo that rose and the surrounding leaves. The coverage isn't quite as good as the rest of the piece, and while no one else will notice, I'll always know if I leave it that way.

February 25, 2004

The entire left side of the violin is now complete, backstitching and all! I'm really excited about how this is shaping up, and I'm having a lot of fun stitching it. I'm using this as a stopping point, though, I need to start on a gift, and I want to stop before I get sick of it again. I bought extra scroll bars for my lap stand, so I don't even have to completely take it off (even though it would be easy, its attached with velcro).

I did actually rip out that rose and re-stitch it with the correct amount of strands. It was driving me nuts the way it was.

March 25, 2004

I'm finally done with all the roses, and I couldn't be happier. Luckily, I didn't run out of floss despite the ripped out rose, so I didn't have to try to match Dimensions colors to DMC. The french horn was fun, now I just have to finish up all of the greenery and music. I'm getting there! I've been backstitching this as I go, which definitely helps with the morale of the piece, I find doing all the backstitching at once at the end to be really tedious.

I hope to be done with this by the end of April, while doing L*K's Spring Basket and the May block.

I'm finally done! This was started in January 1994, and was a UFO for a really long time. I'm really glad I finally picked it up, cleaned it up, and finished it! I'm really pleased with the way it came out, I just need to figure out how to frame it now.

Completed March 30, 2004