Took a break from working on the Hobbit Hole because I kept miscounting stitches to do the sassy Eye of Sauron. I never get to use such vibrant colours on my other projects so that bright orange was probably the best part of the whole thing.
The pattern I purchased online from CryptidStitch (link leads to their shop) with a few very minor modifications.
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Image description: the first image is of a cross stitch done on white cloth. Centered in the middle is the Eye of Sauron atop Barad-dûr. The tower is black and silver but the eye is bright orange and yellow. Above it, stitched with black thread, are the words "You seeing this shit?". The second image is a close-up of the cross stitch showing the detail of the eye.
This day in Middle Earth history: March 25, TA 3019
The Host is surrounded on the Slag-hills. Frodo and Samwise reach the Sammath Naur. Gollum seizes the Ring and falls in the Cracks of Doom. Downfall of Barad-dur and passing of Sauron.
The base of Sauron's impenetrable fortress makes up the majority of the stronghold's core structure, containing much of the accommodations for the Dark Lord's lower servants.
In the pits of Barad-Dur, Sauron's Orcs toil away, forging weapons of war from the molten materials funneled straight from Mount Doom itself. The interior features a water-funneling system to keep the troughs for cooling off the molten steel full. Anvils and sharpening stones surround the pits of lava where the orcs mold the raw molten metal into swords and shields, as seen in the LEGO Lord of the Rings Orc forge set. Once they are finished, the weapons are placed on racks, where they are eventually transported to the armory above for storage and eventual use.
To the right of the Orc Forge is the dreaded dungeons, where many a man, elf, and dwarf has suffered a grizzly end at the hands of their captors, their corpses still littering the floors and walls of the ill-kept dungeons. Outside the dungeons lies the torture chamber, a terrible device pulled straight from the Fellowship of the Ring, where the Orcs use the machine to torture Gollum, at the behest of their master.
The second floor of the Fortress contains the armory, a mess hall, and an Orc kitchen. The armory is filled to the brim with Mordor's finest steel, as chest plates, shields, helmets, and an assortment of weapons are prepared for battle. The mess hall to the right of the Armory has little of note, other than a long wooden table capable of seating four Orcs, littered with the scraps of their last meal, and flanked by a barrel of bitter Orc-rum. The Orc kitchen is likewise littered with the remains of the last meal prepared. Tools and utensils dot the space, as do condiments and spices, and a large fireplace ties the room together as drumsticks of some unfortunate foul are roasted above a roaring fire.
The exterior of the fortress is infamous for its nigh-daunting amount of battlements and towers, from which Orcs can repel any attackers foolish enough to challenge the powers of Mordor. A large imposing gate sits before a bridge above molten lava, upon which visitors must traverse before entering the fortress.
I hope you have enjoyed this walkthrough of my Barad-Dur project. As mentioned in my previous post regarding this behemoth, it was purchased from Brickstruct.com (here's the link if you're interested)
Keep an eye out as Part 2 of this showcase covering the tower itself is coming soon!