A snowflake short of a snowstorm ?

When I started "Tis" I thought it was going to be a quick stitch - two months later it is finally done.  After several wrong turns through the vine, many variations of the snowfalls, many hours of unpicking snowflakes and a long stitching slump, the big red bird and his stitcher have reason to be jolly.

I have just finished pressing this and it was looking great - but in the photo it looks like a crumpled rag!  Took the photo in brilliant sunshine but it still does not do it justice - it really is a lovely piece.

While I had the iron out I pressed my new pieces of linen.  Some of them had fold creases in them which weren't responding to the dry iron so I dampened my pressing cloth and pressed through that - oops ... probably not a good idea as I then had a bit of a watermark.  I have done the piece again and hopefully it will be ok when it dries.  Like I said previously I haven't used these overdyed linens before and I have a bit to learn about them.  

Oh dear, now I have to choose a new start - how sad is that ????? lol

Bye for now ..

Mary