You Never Stop Learning

I used to make my pictures for my works in progress on a scanner. Then I started stitching on a scroll rod. That was such a huge problem to take it off, and maneuver it onto the scanner that I bought a new camera to take pictures. (see how my mind works, scary, huh?)

Now I had a brand new digital camera and didn't know how to use it. I tried several settings, but the pictures were never very good. I decided to start taking a picture every night after I finished stitching to practice.

OK, now I had a bunch of pictures. Then I learned how to make a cool slideshow in photobucket, and just now have learned how to post it to my blog! (see left hand side for said slideshow).

I must say, there is a sense of accomplishment there. So, may I present the slideshow that takes my stitching to the half-way point with Forest Light. The original artwork is by Jonathan Earl Bowser.

The pictures still aren't the best, but I think they are getting better. I'm still practicing every night and will do another slideshow when I finish the next row of pages.

Back to my blog and some serious stitching again. I've been wanting to do this piece for ages. The artist is Jonathan Earl Bowser and the piece is called Forest Light.

I've been stitching on it at this point for 30 days and am almost 1/3 of the way finished. It's being stitched on 28 count Laguna fabric, 2 x 1 and using only half cross stitches. There is a lot of areas with the same color in them, so it's stitching up very fast.

That's good because the stitchers I hang out with on the internet were having a conversation a short while ago. The question was asked, "if you had unlimited money and time, what pattern would you stitch?" There were some beautiful patterns for answers, any of them I'd love to do. My ultimate pattern though was, well, extreme to say the least. There is this lady named Joanna Lopianowski-Roberts who has charted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This chart is 564 x 1114. That's 628,296 total stitches. Now, I love large projects, but this is huge, even by my standards.

I was answering the question, not intending to actually stitch the chart. I don't know what happened, but the thread took on a life of it's own and now these friends and I are planning to stitch our dream charts. I guess why not? Life is uncertain and when I'm 80 and maybe not able to stitch any longer, if I didn't at least try, I believe I'd regret it. So..... the chart is purchased. The fabric ordered. It takes over 600 skeins of floss. I'm using my master set of DMC to get it started, and now need to go through what I do have to see what I still need.

This chart will take me a good long time, but I've always loved the art on the ceiling of the chapel. I remember when National Geographic did a layout of the restoration of the art, I wore the mag out looking at the pictures. I can't wait to get to know this wonderful art, one stitch at a time.

I also, briefly toyed with the idea of charting this art myself, since I do chart historic art to stitch. I looked long and hard at Joanna's chart and truly believe it can't be improved. To that end, there is no reason to even try. I'll stitch her marvelous work. I'm starting a new blog just for the project. I'll post a link to it when I have it ready.

I hope anyone who stumbles onto this little blog will join myself and the others that will be stitching their own dream charts to keep my company in our journey.