Lindisfarne Stones: starting the top

With all the sides done, it's time to start the top.  This is going to take a lot of work, but at least it's a different shape, for a bit of interest!

Still the same technique, colours, threads and pattern, though, so not that different.  Starting at the bottom:

Then up to the base of the cut out section:

I want to go as far as I can with one length of couched thread running off the reel (I could say that it's to minimise waste, but really it's just because I want to see how far I can get in one go), so up the right side next:

I'll go back and do the pointy bits later.

Still a long way to go, but you can start to see the idea.

Lindisfarne Stones: second long side

The final side is finished, which means I'm approximately half way through the sewing:

The top section next; I think this should be quite fun to do, as I watch the shape building up.

Lindisfarne Stones: first long side

Happy St Cuthbert's Day for tomorrow!  For anyone in the Durham area, St Cuthbert's Banner will be paraded through the streets tomorrow from the Town Hall to the Cathedral, starting at 2.30pm.  This happened last year when it was dedicated, but it looks as though it's going to become an annual event, which is wonderful.

Back to business and another short update on progress - I've finished the first of the two long sides.  And here it is:

That's a slightly better photo than normal, which gives you a bit more of an idea of how the red looks against the gold.  Very shiny!

Lindisfarne Stones: the second side

A very short post to show how I'm getting on - I've now done the second of the shorter sides:

The photo isn't marvellous, I'm afraid, but at least you can see that I'm making progress!  The first long side next.

Lindisfarne Stones: the first side

The 'box' that will surround the stone will have goldwork stitching on all four sides and the top, though not the base.  Working my way in gently, I'm doing the sides first, and the shorter ones at that.

All pieces will be solidly worked, entirely covered in couched gold thread.  I'm using imitation Japanese gold no. 8, couched with Au Ver a Soie soie d'Alger no. 0936 - a strong red - to form the pattern.  As there are longer gaps between the stitches forming the pattern than I might like, I'm also using another thread to couch in between them: the machine embroidery thread Gutermann Sulky no. 8007.  This is a metallic gold, and almost exactly the same colour as the couched thread, making it difficult to see in use. This is exactly what I want, as I don't want it forming part of the pattern, just quietly keeping the couched thread straight and flat.

Here, you can see all three threads in action:

I'm making two small couching stitches next to each other in the red, to emphasise the design, but just the one with the Sulky as it doesn't need to be seen.  I'm also using one long length of the Jap gold, straight from the reel, and going backwards and forwards with it, to cover the entire felt shape:

You get a bit of an idea of how it catches the light here, though in real life it's really quite shiny!

Lindisfarne Stones: goldwork felt pieces

Well done anyone who guessed that I would be making this in goldwork!

I'll be covering the entire design in gold, with the grid pattern picked out in red.  I'll be using imitation Japanese gold thread no. 8, couched down with coloured thread.

First things first, though - I need to get the design onto fabric to stitch.  Couched gold thread works best over felt, so I made a transfer of the design (reversed, so that when used it would come out the right way), and ironed it onto yellow felt:

This is the first time I've tried to use a transfer on felt, and I'm reasonably pleased with the results: a bit patchy in spots, but not too bad overall.

I then cut out the felt shapes:

And stitched them onto a slightly wonky piece of yellow-dyed linen, stretched on a frame:

I'd attempted to go over some of the paler transfer with various pencils and red ink, hence the splodges down the bottom of the top piece, but it was just making things worse, so I gave it up.  I'll just have to try and be careful when I come to stitch it!

Lindisfarne Stones

I am going to embroider my carved stone dogs.  Not a separate embroidery using the same design, I mean the actual carving. I keep getting blank looks when I say this to people, but I think it could work!

It is possible to stitch stone - I have a very small piece by Clyde Olliver which has stitches worked through holes drilled in slate - but I don't want to do anything else that will affect my carving (if only because it would be too hard!).  This leaves embroidering around it in some way.

What I intend doing is effectively constructing a box around it, with the carving framed by the top.  Keeping on the Lindisfarne Gospels theme, I want to use a motif from there, though after all the zoomorphic designs, this time I want to use a regular key pattern.  These are used in the Gospels and in other items such as stone crosses of the same period, and so seem appropriate.

The key pattern I want to use is drawn on a diamond grid, and although I could draw up such a grid myself, I'm afraid I'm going to cheat slightly and draw it on squared paper.

I first drew a strip up the centre, as it seemed easier than trying to work out the edges first:

Then filled in the rest:

I still want the diamond-grid effect, so this is where the real cheating comes in: I scanned my hand-drawn grid, rotated the scanned image by 45 degrees, and squashed it slightly, so that it's wider than it is tall. This gives me the key pattern I was after:

I traced this onto strips, to form the design for the sides of the box:

To get the outline shape, I placed the stone piece under a sheet of perspex propped on books, and some tracing paper on top, and traced the outline:

I then traced the key pattern onto the same design:

Here's the completed design for the top:

I know what technique I'm going to use to stitch this - can you guess?