I've been itching to use some of the hand dyed flosses I've been acquiring from the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe. Yesterday I set up a small hoop with a quilting cotton that has a barely-there print on it.
I've learned that a 4" hoop is the most comfortable fit in my small hands. I really wanted to fill this circle with embroidery but the first color I picked up was a dark green. That soon became leaves and stems for mysterious flowers.
They could be red hot pokers I suppose. I wasn't striving for reality particularly. But some time ago I downloaded an e-book by Ann Bernard about how to create flowers in embroidery. I brought that up and decided to have a go at her version of black-eyed Susans.
The technique was simple and fun and seemed to be effective. However, if I were to do it over again I would use a lighter green for the foliage and/or a redder brown for the flower centers. Up close it looks okay but from a distance...
It's all so tiny! I'm striving to reserve judgement. I know the pitfalls of judging a work too soon. That path leads to UFO's. I'm thinking I might try to install a bird bath between and behind the two clumps of flowers but I'll have to screw up my courage before I attempt that. Or maybe I'll try to put a tree in the background... or maybe this will sit and simmer while I work on something else altogether - but just until I decide what to do next, not to become a UFO!
There's yet another give away going on over in Nancy's shop. Pop over and leave a comment for a chance to win. :- )
I think you've made a brilliant start! How about a weeping willow or a flowering cherry in the background, some foxgloves and delphiniums, maybe some hostas, irises, a sunflower or two? I love the idea of them all crowded together like a blowsy cottage-style garden, a riot of lush colour and foliage. And YES! A bird bath and some colourful little visitors perched on the rim.
ReplyDeleteOk, that's quite enough from me....
Tiny, maybe, but so pretty.
ReplyDelete