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Stitched Pieces and
Works in Progress
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| I am not a huge cross-stitch fan, mostly
because it takes so long and is not at all creative. Nonetheless, since
I don't own a TV, I need to do something to veg, and the end results are
beautiful. Someday soon I hope to learn Japanese embroidery, which is (I
think) a much lovelier and more exacting technique. |
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This is The Castle, by Teresa
Wentzler. I stitched it in college and only got around to framing it
last year. |
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Another Teresa Wentzler design--Lily
Maiden. |
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This is an example of blackwork, which
is Spanish in origin. (It was popularized in England by Catherine of Aragon,
when she married one of the Tudor kings.) I prefer it to cross-stitch because
of the delicate lacy look, but it's hard to find good blackwork designs.
This one is by Leon Conrad. |
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I jokingly refer to this pieces as "my albatross",
as it's been half-done for over a year now. This is Teresa Wentzler's
Peacock Tapestry, probably the most complex and difficult piece she's
created.
This piece is interesting because I decided to
stitch the peacock in silk rather than the customary cotton embroidery
floss. This meant matching several dozen colors and color blends--I spent
six hours and $180 at Needle
in a Haystack, trying to find exactly the right color matches. The
result is subtle but definitely worthwhile--the bird's colors seem to
glow from the duller pear tree. (Silk is more translucent, slightly thicker,
and glossier than cotton embroidery floss, producing a jewel-toned effect.)
A closeup shows the difference
more distinctly--the peacock is silk, the pear tree cotton.
I really hope I finish this someday...
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Another unfinished Teresa Wentzler,
this is Oriental Poppies. I'm adding red metallic to the poppy leaves, and
am hand-dyeing embroidery floss for the outside floral border. Of course,
heaven only knows when or if I'll get around to finish it...unfinished stitching
projects seem to be my specialty. |
