Paisley brooch

I love paisley shapes – one of my favourite parts of my North Cornwall Wallhanging is this little paisley design:

So after the first failed attempt to attach a reticulate brass disc with shisha stitch I decided to embroider a paisley design with the disc at its centre. I used a design I’d found on the internet that I liked and because the sapphire coloured silk I was using was too dark for me to mark the design onto it, I stitched three elements straight through the paper: a yellow silk split stitch inner shape, running stitch (to whip later) in the middle and yellow silk french knots round the outside.

The stitches were close enough to have perforated the paper really densely so it was very easy to remove and I could begin to fill in the gaps. with more french knots…

…chain stitch…

…and feather stitch.

I tried the disc in place but with everything else following the paisley shape, it looked wrong, so I cut a piece of reticulated brass to match the central shape.

Laid in place to get an idea of the finished piece.

Just some french knots to add, the brass to attach and the finishing to do.

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The Eregion pendant – brass and silk

As the brass piece of this only has two proper corners, curve stitching wasn’t working for attaching it to the silk and I really didn’t like the odd long stitches on the mountain side of the river, so I took all that out and started with the river.

Whipped running stitch and french knots in a single strand of Gloriana silk and then the ends left long and loose.

Under the brass it gives the rippled, watery texture I wanted.

The more layered whipped stitches and french knots in a paler purply blue silk.

Then touches of white silk and a very thin snowflake-coloured blending filament.

Last of all, I teased out all the long loose ends into the fine fibres to tumble over the fringed silk at the bottom.

Like a waterfall. Along with the encrusted brass/embroidery this also needs a bale to  finish it off.

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