The Doctor and the Dragon

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog. I have a tendency to take long breaks between spurts of work on my needlework projects. Mostly I blame a lack of time.

I've completed not one but two projects since I last updated. One project was brand new, one was an ancient UFO.

For their "Stitch the Star" section, the UK Cross Stitcher magazine did a pattern featuring Doctor Who's David Tennant in their latest issue. The pattern isn't the greatest, just a very basic side face shot, no back stitching involved with about seven or eight colors. I fussed over choosing the fabrics forever at the LNS, finally enlisting some help from the shop owner. I really didn't want to use boring old white. I'm not wild about the natural linen shades either, but I thought it gave it a little more zing. Only to discover there were unstitched parts of the pattern and no outlining. Despite my initial worries, I think it makes a good contrast. I went with 28ct natural linen for the final version.

For comparison, Cross Stitcher has already posted a picture of someone's completed version to show how it'd look finished and in white. And a British fan adds her finished version in antique white aida. I know mine would have definitely stitched up faster on aida, although I do like my version.

The other finish was the other Real Musgrave Pocket Dragon pattern "Scary Book". They were both published by Crafty Capers in the early 1990s. I lost the original patterns and never had the chance to finish them until by chance I was at Media West one year where someone was selling old cross stitch charts.

This poor dragon has probably been rereading the same chapter for the last fourteen years!