Michelangleo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling in four years, between 1508-1512. It took Texan Joanna Lopianowski-Roberts a decade to replicate his feat in a 40 x 80 inch cross stitch made with 1,809 different color combinations and a total of about 628,296 stitches!
Lopianowski-Roberts’ amazing feat is documented in a self-published book (on lulu.com) that includes 45 full color individual patterns for each scene, just in case you want to get in on the action. Lopianowski-Roberts describes the patterns:
These patterns are not computer generated. They have been meticulously created one square at a time. This allowed me to to transform the curved Sistine Chapel Ceiling into a flat pattern. There are no special stitches in the pattern, not even backstitch (except the lettering on the signs). There are only 1/4, 3/4 and full cross-stitches. Also, all the different individual pieces have been designed to interlock with the scenes around them. Although you may find patterns of parts of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling elsewhere, as an aggregate you will not find a similar pattern anywhere.
If you’re clicking over to lulu.com to buy the patterns and simply can’t wait to whip out your needle to create your own cross-stitched ceiling, you won’t be alone. Others who are trying to match the feat have formed a Yahoo group.
