Chinese Goddess

I made this tapestry for my best friend's birthday, who has given me tremendous amount of support and encouragement in my life. I wanted to give something that purely comes from my heart to show how privileged and  honored I am of the friendship and how much I care and appreciate of everything. I found the pattern back in December 2010 (designed by Sigrid Wynne-Evans at http://www.beadedbear.com) and bought it on February 9th, 2011, but took me a while to gather the right color and amount of beads for it, searched through online and few bead stores around. Finally, I had all of the required amount of beads and started this big project on March 23 and finished on May 4th (42 days).
This is the biggest beading tapestry project that I've ever done. It measures 9.70 x 12.33 inches (24.6 x 31.3 cm), using 35 colors of 11/0 Delica seed beads, total of 35,890 beads. Finding the right size and color frame, was another challenge. But I found a place online which has the perfect size and color frame for this Chinese Goddess.
While beading this tapestry, I went through challenging times; a lot of worries and stress, and came down with flu. But as my best friend always remind me never to give up hope, this tapestry gave me determination as my goal and achievement, adding one bead at a time. It was such a big accomplishment beading this. I hope as much as my best friend brings joy in my life, this gift can bring smile and encouragement. Thank you for everything and Happy Birthday!!!