The Exemplary 2024
Honorable Mention, Non-Professional Original

I did a couple of Mill Hill kits on linen that were finished into a diamond shape. It seemed to me that the same technique could be used on canvas. Because of the stiffness of the canvas, four inches in each direction seems to be the smallest reasonable size in order to finish the back neatly.

It was fun to play with a variety of fibers from my stash and various stitches (mostly familiar ones) on both 16 count and 18 count canvas. Once the stitching was done, I trimmed the pieces to four threads beyond the stitching, finger-folded the unworked canvas to the back and pinned it in place. I stitched the vertical seams, sometimes with an extra stitch or two at the beginning, starting at the center point and stitching to the corners, being careful to keep the corners aligned, using a simple overcast stitch. Once the vertical seams were stitched, I used a variety of beads and crystals in colors coordinating with the stitching to create hangers and, in most cases, tassels. Then the horizontal seams were stitched about halfway each, stuffing added, and then the seams completed.