WIP: Be You to Others Sampler (Hillside Samplings)

Today's featured WIP is the Be You to Others Sampler, designed by Leslie Rudnicki of Hillside Samplings.

Technique/Materials:  This sampler is primarily cross stitch, with a few other stitches (satin, smyrna, herringbone, eyelets) thrown in as a change of pace. I'm working it on an unnamed color of 36ct Lakeside Linen received during a Fabric of the Month club several years ago. Most of the threads are Hand-Dyed Fibers from Vicki Clayton.

Background:  I picked up this piece in the summer of 2007 when I was looking for a project that wouldn't take tons of concentration when I was stitching with a group. In my stitching group, this quickly became known as the Ninja Squirrel Sampler due to the fact that the squirrels on it are as big as the little Adam and Eve in the center of the sampler.

Why it's not done:  It turns out that I like pieces that require concentration, at least most of the time!  That's not the only reason this hasn't seen more progress, though. The other reason is that the fabric seems flimsy and too soft. It's strange, because I've used 36ct Lakeside before and didn't have this problem. With this piece, though, I have to be more vigilant than usual about my tension, because the fabric threads distort very easily, especially with satin stitch.

What's left to do:  This is another sampler that still has a looong way to go.