Instant gratification

This little egg--"Hot Date"--took practically no time to stitch. I filled in the little diamond intersections with white DMC floss, and then contemplated what thread and stitch to use for the hearts themselves.

Now I don't consider this design to be my "magnum opus, " a piece of great beauty to be passed down from generation to generation. It's just a fun little piece, guaranteed to provide a bright spot of color on an otherwise bleak winter day. I was looking for the needlepoint equivalent of "one-stop shopping"--and hit on "one-step stitching."

I wanted each heart to have a slightly padded look, so rummaged in my stash of Silk & Ivory and pulled six different colors: Red Hot, Pink Cow, Cotton Candy, Big Orange, Shrinking Violet and Purple Cow. Each heart was then worked in a long stitch, which not only covered the canvas well but also provided a satiny, padded effect. I could have first stitched each heart with floss in basketweave, and then chosen another thinner thread to work in long stitches over the floss. But in needlepoint, just as in life, you need to pick your battles carefully--and I chose the easy way out!