The Malachite Bird embroidery project is inching ever closer to completion — slow and steady, but definitely moving forward. With needlepainting, progress is measured in tiny increments; I usually cover only about 2 square centimeters in a sitting. So every little patch I finish feels like a small victory.

When I last updated you on this piece, I had just completed about three-quarters of the way up the bird’s breast.

Since then, I’ve steadily moved upward into the pale area just under the chin.

Here, I’ve been rallying all my little workers to start adding the feathers to the right of the eye — including another soft, pale patch that adds a subtle highlight.

That’s all I managed to complete for this session.

Throughout this stage, I’ve mostly been working with Au Ver à Soie silks. They’re wonderfully plump with a gorgeous sheen that makes each stitch almost glow with life. That said, these silks do wear a bit faster than DMC cottons, so I’ve been keeping my thread lengths shorter to maintain smooth stitches and avoid any fuzziness.

Next up is the head — and I’m really looking forward to it. This part of the bird is bursting with some of the most beautiful, vibrant blues in the entire piece. I can already imagine how these shades will bring the bird to life and add that final spark of color and depth.