The Exemplary 2023:
2nd Place, Non-Professional Non-Original without Instruction

I have always wanted to stitch an optical illusion. When I saw this painted canvas by Zecca, I knew it was the one. I chose the Reverse Scotch stitch for the body of the design as I wanted to give it a little different take than a Gobelin or Cashmere stitch. The Reverse Scotch stitch gives the design a reflection of light as the stitches move on the canvas. I chose an overdyed stranded cotton floss in two colors that complimented each other. Using an overdyed thread gave the design more movement and depth. The partial border stitched next to the light grey is worked in a Satin stitch.