Over the weekend I ordered supplies to stitch this sampler, "Pink Hill Manor", by Blackbird Designs. I've owned the chart for about a year and am in the mood now to stitch it. I've also got an ulterior motive as I have decided to enter some of my recent needlework projects into the State Fair. I've never entered my work into any sort of competition, and haven't a clue whether anything I do would be good enough to win anything, but it sounds like it could be fun and might even provide motivation to me to make better progress on my work.
To that end, I need to decide what I want to enter. The work has to be something completed within the last three years. And it has to be something that I think might actually have a chance of catching a judges eye. Do you remember my "Mystery Sampler"? It is also a Blackbird Design and I am more than halfway finished with the stitching. I think the last two sections would go fast if I could just get past this more labor intensive (lots of filling in of stitches) middle part. Once it is sewn together and framed I think it would be a pretty striking piece.
This biscornu would be easy to finish, and maybe fairly quick to stitch. The designer is Just Nan and it's called "When Barnabee Met Bella". Barnabee and Bella at bees and they are recurring 'characters' in a series of needlework designs by Just Nan (I've got a number of them by the way). This is one of my favorite ways to finish a design, though it might have to go into a "miscellaneous" category.
And there is a sampler category, in which this would fit nicely. However, it is only perhaps a third of the way finished. The State Fair is in late August, which means I don't have a lot of time and should really concentrate on just one project (or one project and the little pincushion).
How to choose? If you were a judge, which would you be most impressed with? Has anyone entered needlework into your local state fair? Any suggestions or advice?
