Like looking at it from afar, but closer...

If nothing else, this TAST challenge has revealed that the biggest challenge I have is deciding what to do! I'm late with Couching Stitch 9 and Running Stitch 10, but on time with Whipped Wheel Stitch 11. So, without further ado, here they are:

Couching Stitch

Running Stitch

Whipped Wheel Stitch

And this is how the Heart Block now looks overall:

Heart Block

For those who have seen the heart block before, yes, I tore out the chain stitch I'd done. It just didn't seem to "fit" to me, where it was, and the size it was, and the color green I'd chosen. Yeah, I know, it looked fine. But it wasn't the direction I'd wanted to take the block, I just put it there because I had to put it somewhere. So it got pulled out. I'll use the chain stitch again, perhaps on the green and off-white block.

Until I saw the photo here in the blog, I thought the heart block was pretty much done, but now I think it needs something more in the upper right corner. Maybe some additional beads for balance, or something along the uppermost seam.

Let's see, what did I learn. I learned to get some fabric to use for the stitches that come up, so I can put them there before putting them onto a block, to make sure they seem to "fit", and then only add them to a block if they do. I also learned that I'm actually getting better at keeping things straight and more evenly spaced, and that feels great! Still not perfect, but heading in the right direction.

And I learned that sometimes looking at a piece through the eye of the camera, smaller, on the blog gives a better perspective on it. It's like looking at it from afar, except closer. LOL! It's sort of like looking at it as if it were something done by someone else, so a bit emotionally removed from it.

And I learned that, despite the difficulties involved in trying to decide what to do and where, and what color, that the end result is a very nice feeling of accomplishment. I'm looking forward to the next stitch already!