According to Wikipedia, the definitions of patience, diligence & a perfectionist are as follows:

Patience is the state of endurance. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.

Diligence is a zealous and careful nature in one’s actions and work. Decisive work ethic. Putting forth full concentration in one’s work.

Perfectionist believe that perfection, a state of completeness and flawlessness, can and should be attained.

These are only a few of the wonderful traits that my Mom possesses. She loves doing “counted cross-stitch” in her spare time. Cross-stitch is one of the oldest forms of embroidery and can be found all over the world. A popular form is counted cross-stitch in which X-shaped stitches are used to form a picture. My Mom will work on one piece for hours a day, weeks at a time and patiently finish up months later. Her cross-stitch pieces exhibit perfect workmanship, every strand of thread that forms an X is uniform and precise. Her diligent efforts are obvious in her final finished pieces, which clearly show dedication and attention to detail.

She surprised my sister and I this weekend with her two latest pieces. Audrey Hepburn for me and Elvis for my sister. My Mom has done some breathtaking cross-stitch for us over the years, I will try to share some more of my favorites later. For now, I took some photos of Audrey & Elvis, but I seriously don’t believe my photos do them justice. You almost have to see them in person to truly appreciate them. My Mom also has a creative eye when it comes to helping choose the mats and frames, each piece is custom framed. Below are some of the photos I took. I wanted to show them framed and then a couple of close-up shots to show the amazing detail. The cross-stitch of Audrey is a portrait reflecting her character in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”…doesn’t she look uber fab-u-lous!

Hope you enjoyed seeing the pics.
Have a blessed day~cass

*EDITED : I wanted to follow up with a comment on the framing of these two pieces. My Mom uses a lady local to her area, Pam at the Frame Gallery. Pam helps my Mom select mats and frames according to the feel that my Mom wants her cross-stitch pieces to reflect. This includes switching colors and styles around until they find a “perfect” match to compliment my Mom’s cross-stitch. I put her contact information below if you want to contact Pam for any of your framing needs…photographs, documents, cross-stitch, sports memorabilia, etc…etc.
Pam @ Frame Gallery
912-537-9552
framegallery83@bellsouth.net