Wednesday 12 October 2011

The final, FINAL sheet of flowers

Well, the big day is finally here: I have finished stitching all of the flowers for the Banner.  This is momentous enough to be documented in detail, I think, so here goes.

The last sheet of flowers to do is the cowslip that'll go in the centre of the top panel:


I outlined the cups at the base of the individual flowers in buttonhole stitch in Madeira stranded cotton 1409, and added detail in split stitch, using three strands of 1410:


I then filled in the rest of the cups in split stitch, using two strands of 1409:


I then outlined the flowers themselves, using Madeira 0105:


To give a sense of the 'inside' of the flower, I filled in the central section of each one in a slightly darker shade, 0106:


I then added shading, using one strand of 0106 and one of 0105:


And filled in the rest of the flowers with 0105:


I then filled in the little gaps that are too small and fiddly to cut out in red, Madeira 0510 (you can't tell when they're on the velvet background, honest!):


Then the same process for the leaves - the outlines, in Madeira 1410:


The leaf veins, in three strands of 1412:


And then filling in the rest, using a combination of 1411 and 1410, to give a shaded effect:


And that's it!  No more flowers.  Wow.  I still have to add them to the background fabric and do all the goldwork, of course, but all the same, this is a major milestone.  Not long to go now!

6 comments:

  1. So, have you thought much about what your NEXT project is going to be, after so long on the banner?

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  2. Congratulations on reaching this point. You must be feeling excited about reaching the finish point now.

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  3. @Elmsley Rose: I haven't really got anything planned - after all this time, it's hard to imagine life without the Banner. There's a UK Embroiderers' Guild national project for the Olympic year that I'd like to do something for, but other than that, I'm not sure. I need to start making plans!

    @coral-seas: yes, the finishing line is now almost in sight, though not quite. Making the Banner up is going to be a bit of a job in itself, so keep reading!

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  4. Isn't it so nice to have all these "finals"? It's going to be absolutely magnificent!

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  5. I just discovered that if you scroll quickly down this post, it's kinda like the flowers are coming to life, as the outline, centres etc are added. Cool effect! *grin*

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  6. Hey, I'll have to give that a go!

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