WIP: My Way (by Carolyn Mitchell)

Today's featured WIP is no stranger to my blog. It is Carolyn Mitchell's My Way.

Technique/Materials: Counted canvaswork on 18ct mono canvas, using many different threads in three color families (cranberry, teal, and gray-blue).

Background: Long-time readers may recall that I started this project when my LNS brought Carolyn Mitchell in to teach last November (2008). The class was specifically structured such that each stitcher could truly call the finished piece MY Way. Each of us chose our own colors. Specific threads were called out in each section, but in some cases, those threads were not available in the color family specified, so the student's creativity was needed, either to change the order of colors or to substitute other threads. Additionally, we could choose from seven blocks, and could position them as desired.  One stitcher even chose to make this a nine-patch design, rather than just six, and will be reusing two squares with different colors and threads.

I just discovered that Carolyn has pictures of finished My Way projects from 19 different stitchers (including herself) on her website.  Scroll down on this page to the listing for My Way.  (While on that page, you can also see Mystique, the class I'll be taking next September.)

Why it's not done: This piece was put by the wayside as my pregnancy advanced last winter, since I couldn't manage such large stretcher bars on my lap stand as my lap disappeared!  I've since picked it up and have made some progress, completing the centers of each of the six squares, but it was again set aside last month when my fellow ANG members voted on another piece to be my "challenge UFO".

What's left to do:  I have a few more decisions to make on two of the squares (the bottom center and right squares in the picture), and then I can replicate the corners and sides throughout.  After that, it's just a matter of adding a little bit of emphasis on each of the border intersections.