Marg Dier Embroidery

Writing a book on thread painting and silk shading.

2019-02-04T12:39:00.001+00:00

So, I have published a book.

It has been a long time in the making. In fact nearly two years of ' In the making'. This is not down to me being slow at writing or making, it is just how long it took me to plan, design, stitch, photograph, describe and edit the intricacies of thread painting and silk shading and as I am a perfectionist it took as long as it took!!!

Luckily I was asked to write a book by Crowood Press on my favourite embroidery subject, I am not sure I would have accepted or enjoyed 65,000 words on the history of English Smocking for example. That sounds a lot of words, when said out loud, BUT I could have written double that. I found there was so much to say and explain and point out, I wanted people to be totally sure on how to apply the principles of thread painting to their own projects.

I have to say I loved every minute of writing it, I am not saying it did not have it stresses. It did. One project which was to recreate an eighteenth century dandelion motif from a mans waistcoat took three attempts before I was happy with the result. I am glad I took the time to get the technique perfect so it is easy for the reader to replicate.

The front cover of the book featuring the Japanese style project describes a padding technique on the outer edges and uses flat silk floss. The background fabric is an antique kimono silk which added great texture to the cover.

The book covers everything you could possibly need to know about thread painting; inspiration, colour theory, setting up frames, what threads to use and then twenty step by step projects.
The projects are very varied, you can work a simple feather, stitch a London sky line or learn how to use real peacock feathers in a seventeenth century style project.

The motif on this project is from an antique Chinese panel, it sits on a paper envelope of silk threads and uses french knots for texture. Although it is a very simple idea the motif is striking when contrasting colours are used for the petals. Again this project uses silk floss.

Throughout the book are photographs of historical and differing cultural examples of silk shading which I have sourced from The Royal School of Needlework and other private collections, the motif above is seen many times in antique Chinese embroidery to create a simple but effective flower shapes.

A more advanced project, this sprig of hydrangea flowers is stitched over wire and then cut out. It uses DMC variations threads to create all those wonderful shades.

This is the London Gherkin being worked in tapestry shading. It shows the lines of split stitch that are embroidered first before being covered in long and short stitch. This ensures a smooth edge.

The book is for beginners and advanced stitchers alike. Beginners will find every stage of long and short stitch and the projects fully explained and illustrated with step by steps. Experienced embroiderers will find lots of little tips scattered throughout to help them improve their thread painting and general embroidery and ways to use my designs to adapt to their own ideas.

Please get in touch using the contact section on the side of this page with any questions or to let me know what you think of the book if you have bought it. At the moment it is available in the UK and USA on Amazon and later this year the rest of Europe, Far East and beyond. I hope you enjoy it. Click here to see and buy the book on Amazon.

Orla Kiely- A Life in Pattern

2018-07-09T16:57:00.000+00:00

'' I wouldn't wear that it looks like my Grandma's curtains! '' was the first of many comments I overheard at the Orla Kiely Exhibition currently on at The Fashion and Textile Museum in London.
Well quite, I had to agree, the dress in question did look like it could have come from a kitchen window circa 1965. I on the other hand would quite happily wear it.
Orla Kiely designs are very much Marmite; you either love them or hate them. They are however all around us. A hugely successful brand that is very much inspired by the 60's and 70's with it's over sized graphic prints. Orla's patterns now cover everything from the aforementioned dresses to home wares, cycle helmets and suitcases.
The exhibition is a joy to wander around and fills the exhibition space perfectly. From an Alice in Wonderland moment to a wall of bags to an army of mannequins that seem to advance on you, the breadth of pattern and colour is fantastic. It shows off twenty years of her design studio which produces the simple but eye catching graphics.
The exhibition is on until 23rd of September 2018 . Click this link here to find out about opening times . Beware the museum is shut on Mondays.

Stem pattern on back wall.

This back wall photo shows off Orla's now iconic pattern 'Stem' as well as some variations on it.
I am sure many people would look at these patterns and wrongly murmur, 'I could do that, it's so simple'. Yes, it is simple but the skill comes in reinventing this pattern season after season in differing scales and colours with various tweaks on the original design.

Giant dress installation.

This dress section on the right does not show it's full scale at all. This was taken in the Wonderland room where nine of her garments have been scaled up and remade into huge hanging installations. This one looks very much like it is made from a flocked wallpaper.

The embroidery on this beautiful bag is machine made but shows perfect design details; an over sized floral pattern in the background, a collection of insects lined up with a limited colour palette and a bright yellow bee flying in at a totally different angle.

The embroidery on this bag, is worked by hand. The backing is a perforated leather with the cross stitches embroidered in wool. It is reminiscent of Victorian perforated paper cards.

The wall of bags, an amazing array of colour, materials and textures. Changing year after year, making them the ultimate collectable for Orla fans.

The advancing army of mannequins, with Grandma's curtains front and centre!

The giant dress installation, very hard to capture the scale but my friend Masako Newton is just wandering through to give you an idea.

A bold mix of patterns, used to great dramatic effect.

From a distance this just looks like an abstract pattern, it is only on close inspection that you see it a a repeat design of a swimmer. Deceptively clever designing.

Antique Bible Conservation.

2017-05-21T09:41:00.000+00:00

Working in the Royal School of Needlework studio means that I get to see, handle and work on some fantastic antique textiles. This year I was lucky enough to conserve an ancient bible which was fully bound in embroidery. The embroidery was metal thread work , both flat and padded. The embroidery dates to first half of the seventeenth century.

There was only one piece missing which was a small leaf . The client decided that they wanted to replace the missing leaf for aesthetic reasons. This can be subjective. Should the embroidery be left as it is? However in this case the bible was for retail and therefore not in a museum and the leaf can be removed if any future buyer decides they prefer all the parts should be original.

Read all about the project and see some photographs on the Royal School website http://www.royal-needlework.org.uk/news/story/252/studio-rescues-ancient-bible

A corner of the bible showing the fully embroidered background with couched metal threads and a wonderful rose in pink and yellow. This rose was stitched in a metal thread which was then wrapped with coloured silk.

A close up of the new leaf, it was a challenge to make a leaf that was going to fit in with all the antique stitching. I used Jacqui Careys book, Elizabethan Stitches to work out the correct buttonhole stitch to embroider. The picture shows me stitching a pulled piece of metal purl around the outside to try and replicate the original. Very delicate work!

Attaching the new leaf to the binding.

Freemason Cufflinks.

2016-06-06T17:43:00.001+00:00

An unusual commission to show you here. A pair of hand embroidered cuff links showing the Freemasons symbol.They were tiny and very fiddly to make. I used a thin machine thread for the embroidery which is about 1cm in size. The challenge here was getting them to look identical.

Close up of the embroidery , approx 1cm in size. The backing was a navy/black flat silk.

Compass and set square symbol of the Freemasons. mounted in silver plate settings.

Custom requests.

2016-03-15T19:23:00.000+00:00

I love it when people have their own ideas for pieces of jewellery. Some can be a challenge, but who doesn't love a challenge? Here are some I have done in the last few months.
The peacock range was made for the Royal School of Needlework shop to coincide with their Peacocks and Pomegranates exhibition. Details of that on their website. I have not made any pomegranate pieces yet but I'm working on it. I think I am much more drawn to the peacock colours , so they got first look in.

A lily of the valley silk ribbon and silk appliqué necklace. I really wanted to get the effect of the little flowers being like little round bells and quite three dimensional. I think I have achieved it.

This large silk shaded brooch was done for a lovely mum on Mothers day. Her name ? Iris. Stranded cottons on a white silk backing. 5cms diam.

Close up of the colours, as the flower was so small I had to use stronger colours than I would use on a large project to enable me to get enough shading into a small amount of space.

Three necklaces with the letter G and two silk ribbon roses. Silver rococo thread and sequins make up the letter.

The backing of this brooch is a silver lurex/silk mix which does not really show up in the photo, it really shimmers! Some fabric painting, sequins, beads and freestyle stitching finish it off.

Close up of a silk appliqué necklace with space dyed threads.

Three peacock silk appliqué necklaces.

Silk appliqué and metallic threads bangle.

Another initial , this one with three roses and a contrast colour on the sequins.

Close up of the silk roses and silver rococo threads

A freesia and buds in silk ribbon on a wonderful blue silk.

A large brooch of two ginger toms. A little amount of fabric painting then alot of stripes. I had to do some editing to make the embroidery design simpler than the photographs I was given, but I think it has made the image more striking and therefore a better piece of jewellery.

Bits and blanks.

2016-01-04T15:12:00.000+00:00

Some more jewellery pieces. Some new ones for me ; bangles and cufflinks .
I buy my blanks in bulk from China. This is always a risk as it can be very hard to see the quality, some are great like the blossom bangle below. Others not so much, such as the atomic bangle I made for myself.

A thistle commissioned brooch, I would have probably put a leaf or third bud on this one but the brief was VERY specific. Long and short stitch thistles.I have added some purple metallic thread on the very top of the flower to catch the light. The backing is Campbell tartan silk from James Hare Silks.

A snowflake inspired small brooch. Stitched in silver machine thread with a Swarovski crystal centre.

A cherry blossom bangle, now for sale in my shop. I will be making lots more bangles as I think they are a lovely way to wear embroidery as the person wearing it can also enjoy the embroidery.

This metal blank was not good value for money, it is really lightweight and the corners are so sharp they catch on your clothes. I cannot use these in my shop so they will all be made up for me like this one. My favourite colour in a space dyed thread , satin stitch circles with antique Italian beads.

Tiny cuff-link snowflakes commission. Machine thread with mini 2mm sequins and glass beads from Prague. The backing is a navy and black shot silk.

Latest bits.

2015-11-09T14:44:00.000+00:00

A few pieces of my latest jewellery. Oak leaves and acorns heavily appear as usual.

An allium necklace made for a colleague at The Royal School. Space dyed threads, french knots and antique glass beads on a silk backing.

Oak and acorn necklace, crewel wools on silk. Long and short in the leaf french knots and satin stitch in the acorns.

I love this one as it is in my colours. Long and short thread painted leaf using stranded cottons with a metallic thread vein on a cream silk.

A thread painted poppy brooch that I made for my lovely mum. Stranded cottons on silk.

Crewelwork using wool from the Handweavers Studio on a silk backing.

Beetle on silk , stitched with space dyed perle.

Toadstool stitched in viscose knitting ribbon and stranded cotton on a silk / silver lurex mix.

Wedding sampler.

2015-08-27T16:13:00.000+00:00

I thought I would share a wedding sampler that I stitched recently. The wedding took place in Greece and I was asked to use a sea theme for the embroidery design.
The font I used was the same as on the invitation , this was traced through on to the white silk with a fine 0.5 blue pencil. At the bottom of the wording I stitched the wedding bouquet; rosemary, olive branches and white roses.
To keep with the sea theme I added a shell and seahorse. These were kept very simple in style to fit in with the lightness of the overall sampler. The words on the sampler are personal to the family so I am only showing the embroidery in parts.

The font was embroidered in a space dyed stranded cotton using stem stitch . This blended from turquoise through to sea blue and a bottle green. Stem stitch is perfect for embroidering writing as you can get lovely curves.

The bouquet was embroidered in stranded cottons and white and green silk ribbon.

The shell was embroidered in stem stitch using DMC colour variations stranded cotton.

The seahorse was stitched in stem and coral (how appropriate!) stitches and french knots again using DMC colour variations thread. A couple of sequins and an antique glass bead finished it off.

Flowery work.

2015-07-30T09:30:00.000+00:00

I have got to 'meet' such wonderful people through the power of the Internet. On my blog here and through instagram and facebook etc. One lovely lady bought one of my necklaces and then got in touch to suggest a custom order. The results of this are shown below and I enjoyed it so much that I offer this as a custom request in my shop. The pendants suggested were a violet and a couple of roses in some oval settings. They are quite large at 3x4 cm but at the same time seemed quite small when I wanted to put lots of detail in. The roses needed lots of petals to look realistic, but my original design had too many so I had to simplify it to enable enough shading. The mounting of them was actually the hardest part, hand cut ovals are not easy! The flowers are all worked in stranded cotton on various flat silks. A link to the ordering details is here .

Close up of the sepals.

A silver rococo thread has been added to the frame of this necklace.

This particular rose is called 'Marilyn Monroe'

This rose is called 'double delight'.

A couple of articles.

2015-07-23T09:18:00.002+00:00

A couple of articles for you to read .
Firstly my shop and work was featured on the website mr x stitch. This is a great website if you are into all kinds of exciting contemporary embroidery. It is not just about cross stitch ! Click here to read all about it.

The second article is all about creating my blue embroidered beetle on UK handmade. This is a great website showcasing all kinds of designers that are contributing to the surge in handmade items in the UK at the moment. There are galleries of work and a directory if you want to commission a piece of original art. Click here to read this article,( it's a long one!!).

I hope you enjoy them and thank you for all the comments and messages you send.

Mini frame.

2015-04-21T18:47:00.001+00:00

Here is a mini frame that I recently stitched an embroidery for. I did change my mind about the embroidery half way through which is normal and there was quite a lot of pulling out. Which is also normal.
I decided I wanted to do an art deco style piece so I used a colour palette from a Clarice Cliff ceramic to inspire me. The grass had two versions as you can see, hence the pulling out. I am happy with the final version though.
These frames are from the talented E.Wood Story. They sell a variety of mini frames for embroidery in various woods for you to use as necklaces and some fantastic crochet kits if that is your thing. I have another frame left to stitch , which will have to be a silk shading piece. Possibly as landscape. Watch this space!

Link to shop for frames

https://www.etsy.com/shop/eWoodStory

The finished embroidery, I just love these 1930's colours. satin stitch, stem stitch and couching. All in one strand of stranded cotton. Finished size 4cms x 2cms .

The original embroidery with the long and short grass foreground. I felt that this didn't fit in with the style of the rest of the piece. It all came out !!!

My next mini frame.

Ribbon embroidery.

2015-03-30T16:20:00.002+00:00

Just recently I have been trying out ribbon embroidery. I bought lots of silk ribbons years ago and have never given them ago.
Well here is my first attempt. I love the look of these ribbons, all silk and beautifully space dyed so the colour changes are really subtle. It does also mean you have no control over where the colour lands. I am also finding that ribbon embroidery does not like to be taken out. This I find really frustrating as sometimes things are not quite as I like them .
If you live in the UK you can get your ribbons from Sophie Long.

http://www.freewebstore.org/Sophie-Long-Hand-Embroidery

She also has some beautiful kits for sale so do check her out.

Hollyhock design, this just grew and grew. It was supposed to be just one stem. I just could not stop. I just love the way hollyhocks just get so tall and bend over.I tried to capture this.

Hydrangea, this ribbon had very subtle shading so I brightened it up by using some spacedyed threads with a stronger pink shade.

I loved this ribbon, wine and olive is the best way to describe it. I thought it looked like an Autumn hydrangea when the colours start to fade away. I had some beads which matched perfectly so they just added some more dimension.

So many colours all in this one ribbon. A high Summer sort of flower.

A silver necklace with another hydrangea.

My first attempts all together. I do not think I will make full size embroideries with ribbon work but they are perfect for brooches. I have just bought another load of ribbon from Sophie so I will have to play some more.

Branching out.

2015-02-10T14:19:00.001+00:00

Sorry I have not posted for a while. I have however been busy stitching. Before Christmas I had lots of work from The Royal School which used lovely silk threads, they catch all over your fingers but it is a treat to use them. I also had a lovely commission from a friend of four brooches. Two were ones you have seen before but here are the other two. Such original ideas, it was a fun job. Other pictures are brooches and a new idea of embroidered rings. These are work in progress. Enjoy.

A silk shaded poppy brooch. The backing fabric was a beautiful shot black and blue silk from James Hare Silks. The long and short was worked in stranded cottons. A few french and bullion knots give some texture. 5 cms.

Brilliant idea for a brooch for my friends daughter. Beaded bun, silk lettuce, felt tomato and cheese, shaded french knot burger all on a silk gingham background. 5cms.

I am keeping this one for myself, satin stitch and beads on silver plated adjustable ring.

Embroidered rings. Space dyed thread used for satin stitch, metal thread embroidery for the centre and tiny glass beads. Silver plated adjustable setting.

A different style brooch, this one based on 17th century black/red work. This style was not geometric pattering but a seeding embroidery often worked in crewel wools with metal highlights. I have used wool, stranded cottons, silver spangles and silver rococo/ check thread. These silver threads will tarnish over time but hopefully not for a while yet.

Crewelwork brooch. Long and short thread painting and seeding on orange silk with stem stitch . 5 cms.

Jacobean style leaf worked with stranded cottons, stem stitch filling and french knots. 5 cms.

Silk shaded oak leaf. Stranded cottons on a flat silk.

Silk shaded oak leaf with silver passing thread.

Embroidered rings . Satin stitched in space dyed threads with antique beads on silk.

Blue tit silk shading.

2014-12-28T16:06:00.001+00:00

I am at home for Christmas I have taken a few photos of old work to share. This little blue tit was a present for my mum about 15years ago. I think it took about three days to complete. All worked in stranded cottons except the branch which was painted. Not the best photo as it is through glass but I thought it worth posting.

Business card design.

2014-11-16T17:36:00.000+00:00

Just recently I have been playing around with business card designs. I felt I that I could not choose just one embroidery so I thought I would try and get in as many as possible.
This is the one I have chosen. I did put it on my facebook page and it got an amazing response so I know it is the right picture. I hope you like it.

Brooch commission.

2014-10-29T11:10:00.001+00:00

Not posted for a while as been very busy, with work luckily. One of my lovely students that I taught last year at The Royal School commissioned me to work a number of brooches for her. A very exciting project . A few of them are shown below. All of them with very tight briefs , which sometimes I think is much better. Exact colours of silk backgrounds were asked for, and as an embroiderer I of course have every imaginable colour in my stash!!! The holly design was the hardest to work as it was so small but needed lots of shading for it to look realistic. So thank you to S , I know you read this blog . I enjoyed every minute of working them for you.

The brief for this one was just, black and white. My vase embroideries are always popular so I thought a black and white one would be interesting to work. I used a black silk thread and tiny glass beads from Prague. 2 inches dia.

Two Autumn leaves in silk shading. Worked on a silk dupion. 2 inch dia.

The tricky one !!! Two inch size again but it needed three leaves to balance the design which meant small stitches.

Pansies are one of the best flowers to silk shade as there is not much of an angle change and lots of dramatic colour changes. 2 inch diam.

Another leaf this time I made it a little more orange. 1 inch dia.

Burrell Collection and other stumpworks ......

2014-09-05T14:58:00.000+00:00

Stumpwork and 17th century embroidery generally being my favourite historical style I was very excited to finally get to the Burrell Collection. This is a collection of over 8,000 objects gifted to the city of Glasgow by Sir Edward Burrell in 1944.
Although a small part of the collection, the embroidery on display was exquisite. The wonderful part was being able to get really close and to take pictures. There is alot of reflection but I did think it was worth putting some of the photos up. A very inspiring day out.
I would also recommend a visit to The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford to see The Eye of the Needle. This is displaying a small amount of the Feller Collection specifically their 17th century works with some of the museums own collection. Be quick, this finishes on October 12 2014.
While you are in Oxford then you really should make a quick visit to Witney Antiques. They sell original stumpwork and 17th century embroideries. A little out of my price range but wonderful to dream. Do call first to check opening and they are also happy to take group visits. They sell catalogues of their antiques with very clear photography so any students of stumpwork should really try and get hold of them.

A wonderful stumpwork castle with buttonholed slips and mica windows.

Stumpwork fruit tree with buttonholed leaves. Notice how all the leaves have a silk floss embroidered leaf behind it.

A shining mica fountain with a coloured grotto behind. The grotto seems to be made up of thin metal plate which has been wrapped in silk thread and then couched down in a pattern.

Canvas work slip and the couching line around.

Wonderful wire hair on Susannah. c. 1630-1660

Silk thread couched in loops to give texture.

King Solomon with a crown of beads and pearls.

A wonderful wild boar stitched with a metal passing in what looks like long and short stitch which is hard enough in silk so it's amazing to see it in metal. A three dimensional ear and a beady eye. I think was my favourite embroidery detail.

A silk shaded butterfly with a metal effect body. This shimmering thread I have seen on quite a few stumpworks and I think it may be peacock feathers. They are known to be used.

Fantastic use of metal threads in this hairpiece. This stumpwork is from a professional workshop. you can see it has a refinement the others perhaps don't.

A basket made of beads c.1675. 63 cms wide !!!

Bundle of brooches and 10,000 views.

2014-07-02T17:08:00.000+00:00

Here is my latest selection of brooches. My needles are hot right now !!
Before I make any more I am going to decide on my next large embroidery project. Although I would love to do another silk shaded giant embroidery I think it would be good to do a different technique. Either blackwork or appliqué. Watch this space.
I am also thrilled to see I have had over 10,000 views of my blog. I know this is a very small amount in the world of blogging but it is huge for me. So thank you to everyone who follows me or just checks in every now and then. Also thank you to everyone who comments on my posts. It makes me feel that I am not just writing to myself.

Polka dot pansy. Silk shading long and short with a beaded background.

Beads and sequins.

Another oak and acorn crewel work . I just love doing them.This time on a floral printed background.

Drawing straight onto the silk fabric with my silk thread. No design on there just sketching away with my needle. Try it !!

No traditional colours here for this crewel work. Cerise meets lime and turquoise.

Brooches

2014-06-25T17:10:00.001+00:00

After trying out a couple of brooches I am now addicted to making them!!! The giant turquoise beetle embroidery did feel like a trial at times so these brooches satisfy my need for projects that are not on the frame for months.
I have sold most of these in the Royal School shop and now have s frame set up with about ten brooch projects at a time. If I get fed up with one I just move on to the next. Although I am just itching to start another big project......

These two brooches have appliquéd vases with thread sketching and tiny antique bead work.

A silk shaded leaf with stranded cottons.

A tiny silk shaded pansy.

Crewel work vase and flowers with french knots and stem stitch.

Crewel work oak and acorns on a silk background with metal work detail.

Long and short leaf with seeding on a silk dupion.

French knot hydrangea with long and short leaf.

Wool trials.

2014-05-22T12:20:00.000+00:00

This little ( 5cms) brooch was an opportunity to try out my new wools from the wonderful Hand Weavers Studio based in North London.

I used four acid colours for the long and short stitching and a stranded cotton for the Portuguese knotted stem stitch. All the colours were named so I used a worsted lime and lemon size 28 which were my favourite to stitch. Next sunshine worsted size 16 slightly thicker and stronger. Finally tan was polo merino which was very soft and had a lovely sheen but not as strong. All these wools are very fine and I did just use one strand of each but it's nice to experiment with new threads.

I added the knotted stem stitch in stranded cotton as it is one of my favourite embroidery stitches. I usually need no excuse to use it !

The backing was a silk dupion shot with purple and turquoise.I love the contrast between the matt wool and shiny silk.

Close up of long and short stitch and Portuguese knotted stem stitch.

Finished long and short brooch. 5cms.

Silk shaded thistle brooch.

2014-05-01T13:18:00.001+00:00

This little thistle was embroidered on a beautiful Campbell tartan silk. I used stranded cottons but felt they needed highlighting as the tartan was quite dark so I added some metallic thread stitches.

Crewel work embroidery.

2014-05-01T13:03:00.000+00:00

This crewel work embroidery sample was stitched quite a few years ago for a class at the Royal School so I thought I would dig it out and perhaps mount it or make it into a pin cushion. It is 11x9 cms so quite small but suitable for a two day class for beginners. It is stitched on traditional linen twill so very tough fabric using Appleton crewel wools. It is all stitched with one strand apart from the coral stitch which is two as I feel very often this need to be bulked up.

Crewel work embroidery sample.

Close up showing long and short stitch, padded satin stitch(with padding), seeding, raised stem band, cretan, french knot trellis and whipped herringbone among others.

Close up showing tiny whipped wheels, buttonhole scallops, coral stitch and whipped stem stitch.

Prawn Star appliqué.

2014-04-07T13:31:00.001+00:00

This little prawn started out as watercolour sketch while holidaying in Spain. My gorgeous friend Anne bought a kilo of prawns and patiently waited for me to assess everyone until I found the prettiest. I promised to make an embroidery from the watercolour so here it is.
A few layers of felt padding on a white paisley printed background started it off. I thought the paisley shapes echoed the prawn outline. I used a pale orange silk for the main colour of the prawn and then built up layers of colour with old scarves in pink and red. As they were transparent it meant I could achieve a watercolour effect. Aqua and orange polyester threads were used to give the ink sketching effect. I had tried black but it seemed too harsh for the embroidery. Finally I hand quilted parts of the background to give interest.
A relatively free style embroidery, it really felt as if I was drawing with thread as I added the detail. I think I will translate a few more of my watercolour sketches into embroidery.

Watercolour and ink sketch

Appliqué prawn and hand quilted background fabric.

Detail of the sketched effect created with polyester threads.

Detail showing the fabrics layered up to give subtle shading.

Silk shaded beetle.

2014-03-31T12:08:00.000+00:00

I like a challenge, I especially like to challenge myself ! So I did, with an amazing photograph that I found on Pinterest. Usually I prefer to design my own embroideries but I just wanted to do a photo realistic embroidery.
I loved this beetle mainly because of the colour and I decided to do it justice by embroidering it the size of my palm. So quite big, especially in this technique. Long and short stitch in stranded cottons. The challenge for me was to get the shine on the body of the beetle to give it a three dimensional effect without padding it.
I added a little specimen tag with my name and date in an aged look paper. I think I quite like this one!!

Long and short embroidered blue beetle. Stitched with stranded cottons on a silk dupion background. Total height of embroidery 15cms. 48 colours of anchor and DMC thread used.

Close up of body embroidery. I added the tiny dots of colour at the end.

I am a messy worker as this picture shows !! I never line my threads up in a row. All 48 colours in a lovely big bundle.

Pansy stumpwork silk shading.

2014-02-24T12:41:00.000+00:00

Long and short embroidered pansy stumpwork.

Close up of the centre of the long and short pansy.

This pansy was embroidered in long and short stitch with stranded cottons. I used a very fine linen backing and couched wire around the individual petal edges which was then covered in the long and short stitch. The petals were all then cut out and the edges turned back and stitched. Having wire on the edges under the stitching meant that I could manipulate the petals so they are curved. The stem is covered millinery wire. I had hoped the pansy would have a more delicate feel to it so next time I may paint part of it and add some stitching to that.