Having really gotten back into cross stitch, when Polar Lights came around again last winter, I felt ready to take on designing something for a bigger project. It took some time to decide if I wanted to do something more generic, or something that tied into the piece I would write. Well, I decided to go with a tie-in.

The theme of "Eventide" for this year's Polar Lights had me thinking about the passage of time. Reading about the eskimo curlew, how it was once a common sight to see across the America's, to rapidly declining to nothing, got the idea of the sun setting on the species stuck in my head. So I used this both in my writing and design.

I used the passage of a single day as a metaphor for the passage of time on a grander scale. I like how it turned out.

I used multiple photos from various sources to design the bird. It was a little difficult, since I gave myself strict dimensions but still wanted to depict something in motion. It was also a challenge for myself, as I haven't designed a pattern around something that would move in realy life before this. I don't know if it's really distinguishable from any other curlew without being told, but I'm really proud of how the bird at least looks like a bird. Maybe next time I'd have used a lighter dark brown, but I think it works for what it is.

The design went through a few iterations. I wanted to get the sky right from the get-go, so I made sure to do a little swatch of the colors all together, practicing the dithering between shades as well. I'm glad I did; I did end up changing a couple things as a result.

I didn't give myself enough time to finish it like I ought to, so it's a bit lopsided since I didn't block it. But that's ok for me. I'm happy with it, and it works the same either way.

Below are some progress pictures.