Sumptuous Surface Embroidery

Week three

I have outlined the waves in a thick variegated silk in back stitch and the shell in a pale blue 2 ply silk in back stitch and whipped chain for the thick ridges. Whipped with a very fine blue/mauve boucle. The areas in between I have stitched in a layered Filling Stitch, mainly on the diagonal. I used DMC 4030 a variegated blue/green fine silk thread from Colourstreams in a stronger blue/green called “Seascape”. It looks good, I think, but I wish the tie down thread had have stood our a bit more.

                                       The whole design

I used a needle lace stitch in the first (L.H) wave in a perle cotton DMC 503 of sage green.

The next wave I stitched in a somewhat wobbly feather stitch in Cottage Garden Threads stranded cotton #801 Salvia (3 strands) I don’t think this one  looks as good as when I usually stitch it in a straight line, instead of trying to fill in an odd shape.  My next wave I am embroidering in Four sided Stitch – a pulled stitch - in Gumnut Yarns – Buds 100% silk.

I have two more waves to embroider and I am trying to decide which stitches to use, there are so many to choose from, and I tend to get tired of looking and trying to make up my mind!

I am enjoying this so much I can

hardly put it down and I have other work to do!

Last Monday I went on a bus trip with my patchwork group. We were away 12 hrs so it was a very long day!  I spent a fair amount of money! And only bought one piece of material! Our first stop was at one of our woolen mills, where I didn’t buy balls of wool, but several bags of about 500gm (17.6oz)each of wool top         (unspun fibre) several bags of which were blends with bamboo fibre. So really looking forward to spinning that, but I have three spinning commissions in front of that!

Our first patchwork shop is where I did most of my damage. They had a great section for embroidery! Not only DMC cottons (which most of the other shops had) but lots of hand dyes and not only cotton, but my all time favourite fibre – Silk

Several books also came home with me as well.

    Spread your Wings and Soar

                        Judy