X-stitch Unicorn!

when i went to portland for the zine symposium at the end of august, i stayed with acquaintances who i didn't really know that well (even though they're awesome). it was a stressful and upsetting time for me, even though the symposium itself was awesome, and being able to stay in a safe place with fabulous people around helped a lot. i appreciated them letting me stay so much that i wanted to make them a thank you gift. they have a wall of unicorn pictures in their living room, and i thought something unicorn themed would be perfect.

the day after i got home from portland, i came across this cross stitch pattern book, copyright 1981, and i decided it was fate!




i chose the glasses case shown on the back cover, but i stitched it out much bigger. i used waste canvas on green cotton, and i think it was 10 count... the end piece was 6"x12", much bigger than a glasses case! i used all 6 strands of the embroidery floss, which i never do, but i wanted to ensure as much coverage over the green background as possible.





i added a bit of glitter in the outlines - silver metallic thread in the main outline, and gold metallic thread around the horn, and blue metallic thread for the eyes. i used one strand at a time, twisted in with the cotton floss.



it ended up taking longer than i'd anticipated to stitch, and then i ran out of the grey i was using for the outline, and then it sat for ages waiting to be finished. i couldn't buy stretcher bars that were the right size, so i decided i'd cut my own, so then i needed to wait for a day when i actually felt up to hauling the skil saw outside and cutting them that was also a day when it wasn't raining. and then when i went to assemble them, i was out of staples, so i had to go to the hardware store. and then after i'd assembled the frame, it still took me forever to cut a piece of batting and wrap it around the frame. i just had too many projects on the go, and no definite deadline, so finishing this kept getting pushed to the back of the line.

but it's done! and it's fabulous!