2.20 Celestial Dragon Completion

This evening, an entire chapter of my stitching history was closed for good.  Yes, it's official, my dragon picture is now finished.

Finished!
*giddy dance of glee*

The final version.

<3

Top left corner, and ironically the last section I did.  So many patterns tell you to start in the top left corner.  Did I listen?  Oh hell no.
Symbol means Happiness - which I suppose is true, I AM happy it's finally finished now.

Top right corner.  Symbol means Longevity.  Which also turns out to be true, I mean, it's taken me 8+ years to finally getting around to finishing this?
Doing it for a few hours every other month and leaving it for 4 years mid way through probably didn't help either....

Bottom right corner, and Wisdom.  Not much I can say about this fitting.  Since it's a blatent lie, if I had been smarter I would have sat down and JUST FINISHED ALREADY.

Bottom left with Virtue.  Even less to say about this, except for some reason it was the first character I did.

The face of the long-suffering dragon.  Pity him.  But rejoice in his completion.

Sadly, my camera doesn't pick up the detail of the scales too well.  But all that green?  Has gold thread scales.  Yup.  ALL of it.

Another attempt at finding the scales.  It's ok, even if noone else ever sees the details, I KNOW IT'S THERE.










Now, I know people who have seen the pattern (and Es and Sarah) will notice that the blue beads on the background were not done.  OMG, I hear you cry, IT IS NOT FINISHED.
Well, I have just two words for all those people.

FUCK
THAT

There are a number of reasons I chose not to put the blue beads on.  1) It would be another 2 years to finish the damn thing. 2) Putting it into my frame would be hell, and even in a hoop would be too.  Beads would be crushed.  I would cry.  I would attempt it again.  Cycle would repeat until I gave up.  The other option of doing it with no hoop or frame, and thus no tension.....will not even be considered.  3) I don't think it needs the blue beads, to be perfectly honest.  There is enough detail involved in it already, most of which will go straight past most peoples heads.  And last of all, 4) it's my picture.  There is no reason I have to follow the pattern exactly.  It's become MY work, my hours, my efforts.  So what if it deviates from the original guide a bit?  It's becoming more mine, more original.  And as the person creating it, I am fine with my decision.

There may be a photo in the future of it framed as well, but as of this moment...done.  <3