It’s finally autumn in Kansas. The nights are chilly, and the days can’t decide between chilly and warm. The skies are a mesmerizing deep blue. The trees are changing. The gnats are swarming (sort of ruins the picture, doesn’t it?), and the year is ticking to a slow close.

With the harvest going on all around me, my thoughts naturally have turned back to Late Harvest, an embroidery project that I started eons ago and that’s finally ticking to a close, too.

When last we looked at this project, the right side was completely finished and I had finished most of the stitching on the left side. I still had one large leaf and two small flowers to work, along with all the beadwork on the stems and the leaves.

Well, the other day, I put my fingers to it and got down to work on the last stitching on Late Harvest, and here are the results.

Here’s the completed left side of Late Harvest, aside from a tiny bit of filler stitching between the bead lines on the stems, which I’ll get to when I move to the next and final stage.

My favorite part of the left side of the overall design is this section right here, where the big bunch of grapes (made with flat back crystals fixed to the fabric with stitching) and all the big leaves converge.

On the right side of the design, the large leaf and the large bunch of grapes are my favorite elements.

Oh. Golly! Do you see what I see? I just realized right this second that I didn’t finish the right side of that large leaf!

I suppose I’ll add that to the next and final stage of the project, too.

(Thank goodness for photos, eh?)

I’m planning on adding filler stitches on these large leaves (between the short lines of beads) and then attaching all the stumpwork elements (embroidered a long, long time ago) all in one stitching session.

I figure a few hours at most, and the project will be finished. I’ll share it when it’s done – and all the ups and downs with the stumpwork elements, too.

Stitching Carrots

I used Late Harvest initially as a carrot. It was my motivation and enticement to get other things done so that I could indulge with a bit of fun stitching designed by someone else. (In this case, Hazel Blomkamp – you can read my review of the Late Harvest Kit here.)

I like to use kits designed by other folks as a carrot, because they usually don’t involve any decision-making on my part. Because of this, I find them very relaxing. I just do what I’m told and I don’t have to think about it!

Once Late Harvest is finished, it’s time to set up my next carrot.

I’ll be setting up a few other kits to work on during the upcoming months (or years!). One will be this Mellerstain fire screen crewel kit from The Crewel Work Company that I reviewed earlier this year. I’ll let you know the others as I decide on them.

So, next phase of Late Harvest: finishing touches and stumpwork! Then it’s off to the framer!

I’ll keep you posted on the finish!