FINISHED!

Jolly Old Fellow is now finished - hooray!  Honestly, there were many times over the past four years when I thought that would never happen!  He is a gorgeous Santa, if I do say so myself.  Now my biggest problem with him will be choosing the mounts and frame, and finding the right place to hang him (he needs to be viewed from a distance for best effect).

My stitched Jolly Old Fellow measures 57.5cm (23") high by 45.5cm (18") wide. He's stitched over 1 on 22 count fabric.   It took me13 months of solid stitching (180+ hrs stitching per month) spread over 4 years.  This is the largest project I have ever stitched.  I doubt that I will ever attempt anything this size again.

So, here are the things I liked best about stitching a HAED design:

• there are no fractional stitches
• there is no back-stitching
• there are no blended (tweeded) threads
• the shading is incredibly detailed
• the stitched design is life-like when viewed from a distance.

And the things I found most difficult:

• the sheer size of the project
• keeping 88 threads under control
• the amount of floss changes and confetti stitches in many parts of the design.

I'm really looking forward to having Jolly Old Fellow as part of my Christmas decorating this year.

If you'd like my HAED Jolly Old Fellow chart (it's unmarked and in as new condition), I'd be happy to send it to you.   I certainly won't be stitching it again!