5" tree, III

I should listen to my own "maxims".  I always tell my students that if you keep telling yourself you can't do a stitch, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I reminded myself of that earlier this week when I took the first Susan Roberts' Christmas tree canvas to the shop.  I thought it would be easier if I stitched earlier in the day--i.e., at work.  It was.  I took out the 2nd color I had started putting in and made myself finish the first part of the stitch, done in color one.

After admiring how pretty this looked, I started adding the 2nd color as an outline X.  Pleased with that result, I did the final step which was a "tie-down" stitch in silk lame braid.  Here is the finished product.

Whew!  Now to go back and couch down the curlicues on the left side of this section of the tree.