Silk leaves - finished

I had set myself a target of Christmas to finish both the Phoenix and this piece.  I had started this one so many months ago, set it aside, came back to it, set it aside again and then finally completed it last week.


There was so much detail and I had chosen to work with Piper's 90 denier silk floss, a thread so fine that to cover a square inch takes at least 50 or 60 movements of the needle.  Most of my work takes an inordinate amount of patience, but this project called on everything I had.  Now that I look on the overall effect, I am happy I persisted.


With this now off my work table, I can start another design that has been calling for my attention.  I had drawn it at the same time as the Phoenix, another design from the 2005 catalogue from the Japanese Embroidery Centre in Dunwoody, Georgia  (www.japaneseembroidery.com).







I plan to work on white linen this time, once again with Piper's silks, but in apricot hues and bronze golds.  This piece is entitled 'In Full Bloom'.  It will be an exercise in precision since the dimensions are small and the interpretation intricate.