The first panel is moving along, the purple is working better than I thought. And, I've started a bit of the second panel, to see how the orange looked. (I like it!)

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Progress is happening! I've started the fluffy part and I'm getting a feel for how this will look. The fluffy part is turkey stitch.

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I've started laying in the gold. Right now it takes about 40 minutes per row. That'll go faster as I go along. (Part of it is that I'm working in a hoop, instead of a frame. But there will be fiddly stuff later, that needs to be in a hoop)

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Another finished piece

I've finished another of the weekly pieces. This one also has the back embroidered around the pin backing. This week willl  be a week of getting pieces ready for display and sale. (Meaning, there will be outrageous amounts of detached butttonhole stitch. YAY!)(I sure know how to have fun, don't I?)
This week looks like it will also be a studio cleaning and rearranging kind of week. It definitely feels like spring, and I want to take advantage of the smell of new beginnings and the colors of new growth.
I spend so much time online, since that's where I get the majority of my inspiration, that I forget the visceral, commanding qualities of nature that also influence what I do. Sometimes it's good to give in to that wildness, and believe its promises.
Ciao!

Finished!

This large piece is now ready to be made into a pendant. I'm loving the look of the French knots on this one. I have a lot of textures on this piece and the knots are not overwhelming. (As they can be)

Progress

I only have four more things to do before I cut this loose!
1. Finish blue edge
2. Finish french knots
3. Put in, and integrate, pearls
4. Wire edge.
Goal to get this done today.

ZIPPERS!!!

Zippers are thoroughly loathsome things.
The embroidery is nice enough. The zipper is irrevocably jammed. Apparently I stitched too close to it. Damnit.

I'll try again

Don't be afraid of cliches

I normally avoid color combinations that are too expected. For example, in this piece, red white and blue. By using 2 kinds of red, and two kinds of blue I think I've avoided the pitfall of making this look like a flag.
It's good to remember that cliches are cliches for a reason. Red, white and blue are good heraldic colors. And there are reasons that they're so popular for national symbols.
Happy Stitching!

Sample for a demo

I have a demo on Saturday, and I'll be showing stitching using much larger supplies (should make it easier to teach, I think.) This is all worked in size 5 Perle cotton. I'll post a finished picture tomorrow.

Illumination and Calligraphy

I'm hoping this is the picture with the calligraphy. I seem to be missing some pictures, and am unsure where they went.

Finished!

Hi folks! I've finished off one of the weekly pieces and will be donating it to an auction to support City Year.

When I get more info, I'll post it here.

Info on the piece...
It's inspired by Australian Aboriginal art.
The pearls and silver cord represent some constellations of the southern hemisphere.
This only took 24 hours (I'm getting faster!)

Fourth weekly piece

I'm running a little behind the schedule I want to follow. (I should be on weekly  6) However, I'm really happy with how this one is turning out. I should have a finished picture for tomorrow, and I can start the  next one!
Ciao!

It's coming along...

The current illumination is almost done. I just have some erasing to do, the initial letters, and the shading of all the leaves and stuff. Later in February (I don't want to post the finished piece until the recipient has seen it) I'll post the finished picture.

Calligraphy, and illumination, done.

The prize scrolls for Birka are complete and ready to go.
1 task, done!

Pearls!

I've added the pearls, and am almost ready to add the wire edging and cut this piece loose. I'll be working a lace edge around the piece to keep it feeling airy. There may be pearls in the lace, I'm not sure until I start stitching.

I'm very happy with the organic feel of the eyelets and french knots. I might need to make a big piece, like a necklace, on the same thought.

Illuminations

Illuminated initials are done! Calligraphy will be done this afternoon.

Have a fabulous Friday!

Progress!

The Kerouac/Walkabout piece is moving along nicely. It's taking longer than I thought it would (this really isn't a surprise) I am so pleased with how this base layer of work is coming out. It has a physical density that's just wonderful to hold. I am getting itchy to start the text layer of it, but that just has to wait at least for now.
Have a fabulous day!

Prize scrolls

Today is a good day for getting some illuminations done. There will be calligraphy later, too. And then back to the stitching!

An experiment

I'm trying to do one, fairly simple, brooch/pendent per week. Unfortunately I'm not so good with the definition of simple. On the other hand this is an awfully interesting piece to work on.

Finished!

The Or Nué "Pelican in its piety" is finished!
Essential information
150 hours of stitching
40-45 stitches per linear inch
26 rows per inch
6 1/8"x4 1/2" (15.6 cm x 11.3 cm)
Thread: 2 strands Sulky rayon
Gold: DMC 2 strands
Now to get started on the next ones.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to 2016. I spent New Year's eve the way I like, in the studio. I worked up a new brooch/pendant piece.

It's modeled after the Australian Aboriginal dot paintings. I used this combo of colors for the notebooks I did earlier. I like the juxtaposition of the earthy, organic feel of the dots against the formality of the Victorian leaf shape.

There's still a little fine tuning to do. I want to re-whip stitch the veins on the leaf with a lighter shade of teal, add the pin backing and embroider the back. I'm debating a delicate lace edge next to the leaf to emphasize the two parts of the piece.

On to more stitching! Ciao!