I have spent the last 3 days working on this tiny piece, less than 2" in each direction, trying to achieve some degree of verisimilitude and depth. I was remembering a catalog essay where Nora Heimann wrote that my paintings seemed "wrought" rather than painted. This tiny piece certainly feels like it was wrought. It hurts my fingers just to look at the back, though I do like the tortured quality of it.
Towards the end of the piece, putting the needle through became increasingly difficult, and I broke two needles in the past two days. You can also tell by looking at the back that I am not a real fibers person, because it is so messy. If you are a "real" embroiderer, the back of your piece is supposed to look just like the front! There is something about the clunky, overworked embroidery aesthetic that appeals to me... something that I have seen in folk art, where there is a kind of obsessive embroidery-on-top-of-embroidery thing.

Will be attaching this piece this afternoon, and fussing over the heart details before I stuff the heart and attach it. I think that I need to do something fast after this piece.