It seems that a lot of the last couple of weeks has been about creating cards. As well as the Fathers’ Day card I showed in the last post, I was also asked to make a first birthday card…
…and a birthday card and anniversary card. For the birthday card I decided to revisit one of the experiments I did with some Angelina fibres, rubber stamps and an iron back in February 2012 and still have hanging about! I just added some simple gold herringbone and straight stitches. The Angelina is so blingy that I think less is definitely more.
The anniversary card is one of the dozens of prints I took from Chris Gray’s huge wooden printing block collection when she led a workshop for our Embroiderers’ Guild back in 2016.
I used just three threads in shades of green and purple to fill in the design with chain stitch, satin stitch, fishbone stitch, detached chain stitch and of course, french knots.
Having had all these to put together, as well as one for my own dad, is partly why the pulled thread I had planned for the Kew memory Journal hasn’t progressed very far. The weather also hasn’t helped as I’m stitching in cream on cream…
… and good daylight is a must. It just hasn’t been nice enough to sit outside and stitch very often.
Once I’m in the swing of counting I find pulled thread work has a very pleasing rhythm but unfortunately it seems that I’ve just got settled when at least one member of the family needs something – usually feeding!
I wanted a heavily raised stitch to echo the raked gravel of the Japanese Zen garden where Chihuly’s Niijima Floats were exhibited and I think the Diagonal Raised Band I chose does that very successfully.
The picture has been transferred onto silk with transfer medium and will be stitched into the top corner.
Now all I need is some decent light and a family who can feed themselves…!
Under A Topaz Sky 
Yes, I’ve noticed the light problem. Normally overcast is good for the goldwork, but there’s a difference between “diffuse light” and “no light”! Here’s hoping the light will soon return!
Maybe I need to bring those blocks up again?!!! Love the pulled work too. I got a lovely book on this in France last year…pulled NOT cut yes? x
Definitely not cut. That is something I daren’t do – yet!!
Lovely cards and fabulous pulled threads. I know a couple of groups of ladies who take themselves away for a weekend or three a year to be with like mindeds and away from demands!