On Top of the World - Cross Stitch Complete!

Back in May I posted about the adorable designs by Genny Haines that were being released by Goldleaf. Now, a few months later, I can happily show you my completed version of Sam and Peeps On Top of the World.

I stitched this and had it framed to be part of the boyfriend's birthday gift. He was quite pleased with the picture and surprised to receive it, even though he'd seen me spend several weeks working on it. Considering I have things I stitched 7-10 years ago that still haven't found their way into a frame, I can understand how he wouldn't connect my stitching it with his upcoming birthday.

This was a lot of fun to put together and definitely gave me plenty of opportunity to practice my French Knot skills, which have always been a little weak. I reduced the fabric size down to an 18 count aida because I wanted the picture to be a little smaller. When working with dark coloured backgrounds, I prefer it if the fabric doesn't show through the crosses of my stitches and I find the lower thread count really helps with that.

At some point I want to make a complimentary daytime picture of Sam and Peeps to go with this one. The hard part is going to be deciding which of the patterns to choose since they're all so cute.

Like this picture? It's available as a leaflet or kit, courtesy of Goldleaf, as are a number of other wonderful patterns by artist Genny Haines.