Needlework WiP: "VS 4 Elements: Earth" Band 16 - set up

Last band in this sampler.   As with all the pieces in the "Four Elements" series, the bottom of the piece is comprised of a deep band of bargello.   The band for "Earth" is simpler than the ones for "Fire" and "Water".  Each of the color rows stacks over the one below it, and all the rows are four threads high.   The other two samplers were much less regular.

Once you have the first row set up (carefully), it's just a matter of repetition.  One very cool thing the designer did, though, was to have the stitcher lay down a set of plunged goldwork threads first.  As the bargello stitches move across the area, the laid work is hidden where the bargello goes over the laid gold or revealed where the bargello stitches start and stop.

I'll try to get a closer picture when there's more than two bargello rows so you can see the goldwork effect.  But this picture shows the laid threads and the start of the bargello.  Because this last band is so dense it's going to take several hours, but it's very effective.