An Update on the House and Garden Sampler

I finally had the chance to stitch a bit this past weekend, and here is a photo of the finished apple tree:

 

I used a blended needle for the greens of the tree, and for the apples I used a variegated thread where I used two threads that started at the opposite end of that particular variegated thread's color.

After I finished the tree last night, I had to decide what to add next to the sampler. I decided upon a pattern from this book by Jane Greenoff~

 

I have always loved the look of Berlin work, so I chose a poppy motif from this pattern~

 

I decided to place it in the lower right corner, just as it is in the pattern.

While I was out today, I decided to purchase a magnifier for my Ott Lite. I am not sure if I like using it or not. Do any of you have any sort of recommendation for lighting? I always said that I would quit stitching when I required special equipment just to see the work. Well that was said when I was 20, so of course I knew nothing about how my love of stitching would grow throughout my lifetime.

Here's the work through the new magnifier~

 

Here's a photo of the work I've added in the lower right hand corner, as well as a photo of the whole piece so far:

 

 

The weather was cold and rainy today, which to me makes it ideal stitching weather. On top of that, I had the day off. It was great to stitch, sip some coffee, and relax a little bit.

Thanks for stopping by today, and please let me know what you do to handle seeing the work well enough when you stitch.