"Feel-good" stitching

Finding a little downtime between projects, I decided to do something for someone else for a change.  The Greater Kansas City Needlepoint Guild was seeking contributions to its Hearts for Hospice program, so this filled my window of time perfectly.

I found a heart template online, traced it onto graph paper, then played around with a suitable design for the center.  After transferring the design to some scrap canvas, I raided my stash for the threads you see here.

The blue diamonds were worked in an encroaching Gobelin stitch with four strands of DMC floss 3325.  The white diamonds were stitched in basketweave with three strands of DMC floss Blanc.  Outlining the diamonds are tent stitches of Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 001, with Smyrna crosses in the intersections.

The whole project from start to finish took about four days, and I had such a warm, fuzzy feeling when it was completed that I decided to do another one!  I'll show this one, too, when I'm done.