First off - let me remind any of you local folks but the Webs Tent Sale is this coming Saturday and Sunday. I will be having a booth on Saturday at the "Fleece Sale" from 10 to 5. I will be selling our Leyden Glen Lamb and some other goodies if I can get myself organized. Here is their site for more info. Back to my Sunflower Pillow project. The last sunflower I stitched was inspired by the maturing sunflower blooms. As sunflowers bloom and age, their outer rings become more textured. This is a Stella Gold Sunflower - another favorite variety of mine. You can see its outer ring has lots of texture.
Here is another sunflower - variety unknown - with its center beginning to take on a rounded and textured appearance.
This is the largest sunflower in the pillow design. It took a lot of stitching but it was fun to make over the days I was selling at the Farmers Market. The outside petals were stitched in stem stitch packed tightly together.
I used Turkeywork to give the texture to my outer ring of my third sunflower. I didn't cut the Turkeywork - just left it looped. Here is a detail, showing a side view of the looped Turkeywork. As you can see, I used two different shades of brown in the needle at the same time to give a multi-color look. Towards the center, I changed the colors a bit. Turkeywork takes a lot of thread.
For the center of the sunflower I used French knots. I used multiple strands to get larger knots. I built a swirly pattern with the darker brown to mimic the natural pattern of the center of a sunflower. Then I filled it in with a gold color. At the very center, I used a light green color.
For the leaves, I decided to let the fabric show through to give a little extra visual texture. I used random cross stitch. To create the jagged edge, I used fly stitch. The center vein was created with open chain stitch.
I teach Crewel Embroidery on-line on Craftsy - use the following link for half off the price of the class because you are a blog reader: www.craftsy.com/ext/KristinNicholas_3938_H I am also offering an advanced Crewel Embroidery Class here at the farm in August. Info here.)
Love, love, love the crewel embroidery. I have just started to play around with embroidery again and I'm hooked. The only problem is it cuts into my knitting time ;)
It was such a pleasure meeting you on Saturday--I'm the one that talked your ear off :-)
I'm really enjoying your Color by Kristin. So many people don't take the time to actually READ knitting books, but I am very much enjoying reading yours.
Please take me up on my offer to help you out if you ever need a knitter or stitcher. You can find me on Ravelry at "saralouise" or e-mail me.
Kristin, I received Rebecca's book and I thank you so much. I remember Susan Anderson talking about taking her workshop on her blog and how much she enjoyed it and here I have it in book form and it even comes with a sampler to work! I adore you sunflower and it's really been years since I embroidered or did crewel work but now that I am retired there are not enough hours in the day! LOL! I love it all and I'm thinking of signing up for your class too. I wish I would have retired years ago! Ha! Ha! Thank you for your blog too.
Love, love, love the crewel embroidery. I have just started to play around with embroidery again and I'm hooked. The only problem is it cuts into my knitting time ;)
ReplyDeleteI haven't done crewel for a million years, but uou make it look fresh and appealing again.
ReplyDeleteI haven't done crewel for a million years, but uou make it look fresh and appealing again.
ReplyDeletegorgeous!
ReplyDeletexxx
Your embroidery is gorgeous. Please fix the link. It takes me to a page within your blog which doesn't exist - not to Craftsy.
ReplyDeleteLink fixed. Thx for letting me know.
ReplyDeleteHello Kristin!
ReplyDeleteIt was such a pleasure meeting you on Saturday--I'm the one that talked your ear off :-)
I'm really enjoying your Color by Kristin. So many people don't take the time to actually READ knitting books, but I am very much enjoying reading yours.
Please take me up on my offer to help you out if you ever need a knitter or stitcher. You can find me on Ravelry at "saralouise" or e-mail me.
Have a great spring!
Kristin, I received Rebecca's book and I thank you so much. I remember Susan Anderson talking about taking her workshop on her blog and how much she enjoyed it and here I have it in book form and it even comes with a sampler to work!
ReplyDeleteI adore you sunflower and it's really been years since I embroidered or did crewel work but now that I am retired there are not enough hours in the day! LOL! I love it all and I'm thinking of signing up for your class too. I wish I would have retired years ago! Ha! Ha!
Thank you for your blog too.