Yes, I’m still chugging along on the long green sampler. Here’s the progress on the latest strip, and an “on the edge” view of the last one, so you can see the dimensionality of the Montenegrin stitch accents in the last one:
I was originally going to work the entire background of the center urn motif voided in long-armed cross stitch, just like the pepper-sporting companion edge strips. I’m still thinking on that one. That much green might overwhelm the piece. It’s hard to judge visual balance when the previously completed parts are rolled on the scroll bar, but here are all the strips to date, in order (apologies for varying lighting, angles, etc. – a photographer, I’m not).
Opinions on working the urn section voided would be gratefully accepted.
Finally – are these odd bud shapes really peppers? I haven’t a clue. New World peppers would have been a recent introduction when this design was new. They might be, or they might be some other vegetation as yet unknown to me.
String-Or-Nothing 
Pea pods, maybe instead of peppers?
Thank you for all of these interesting posts. And I’m looking forward to your New Carolingian Modelbook II.
Good thought. Peapods generally look more pea-like, but that’s a total possibility. Thanks!
I think I like that band how it is and would worry about everything becoming too dark if you voided it. I also think you would loose some detail with the urns and connecting elements as they are very detailed. I think that if there was about half the detail that there is in the design it would be perfect with the voided background, but I just think there is a little too much there at the moment. Something that could be done though is some small floral or plant insert in the small voids that are there, but it would have to be the right piece of plant to look right. It would have to be a floated design, almost like having a spangle there. Then again, this is just an opinion, just like you asked for, lol…….
Seconding the ideas of peapods and unvoided.