Well, I took it the Carolyn's class at the Chaparral and because there were so few people in the class (Friday morning after Christmas), I was able to get a guide and threads for the entire piece (among others).
I started stitching this hound on Saturday morning (in Carolyn's class again) and it stitched up so fast that I thought I would issue a challenge to myself. This piece is a surprise for my mom and dad and I have to work on it without them seeing and I want to see how fast I can actually stitch it. Soooo on January 6, 2014, let's see if I am done. That is my goal- one week.