Mona Lisa

Sorry I don't have any close-ups or in-process shots of this one, but it's something I have been meaning to share for some time. This is, obviously, Mona Lisa, also known as La Jaconde (French) and La Gioconda (Italian). It is entirely done in counted cross-stitch. I did this in 1997 for one of my oldest and bestest friends as a Christmas present—it was ten years after a group of us spent spring break in Paris. And yes, we did see this work of art while there. Sort of. Due to the crowds we were unable to get up close to the display, but we did gaze at it on tippy-toe above the heads of those around us. Sigh...

I actually started this the day after Christmas, Dec 26 1996, and finished it in November 1997. Yup, it took me almost an entire year, working on it a little bit every day. Some nights I only did one row of stitches, other days I'd pop in a movie or two and get some serious work done on it. Believe it or not, it was a lot easier than The Starry Night is, as there were large blocks of color. I think the detailing of the hands, particularly the fingers, was the more difficult work. But, for the most part, there was none of this one stitch here, one stitch there like there is in my current project.

Of course, this piece is also why it has taken me years to work on The Starry Night—this thing was really hard on my hands. Especially the left one, as that is the one that grips the hoop. Didn't do much for the left elbow, either (other stitchers will understand, I'm sure). Needless to say, my friend loves it, and it hangs in pride of place—directly over her living room sofa.