Time for the details! The hand stitching on this piece challenged me but was so much fun and gave me some ideas for the future!
I wanted to make the flowers 3-D but really wasn't sure if I would like the final result. Deciding to do ribbon petals really was a leap of faith because if it hadn't worked the entire piece would've had to be restarted... thankfully, I not only loved the ribbon but intend to use it again in some future nursery pieces!
... Back to the process. I started by hand embroidering the petals and center that were originally attached. This is a pretty typical style for me, one that I rely on all the time!
After that, individual petals were drawn into ribbon and cut out. To keep the edges from fraying the petals were burned with a candle. (Thank you, years of pointe shoe ribbon burning for providing me with experience!) This actually curled the ribbon a little which helps it take a petal-like form. Finally, these were attached to the piece, stitched at the flower center so they have the ability to 'pop' off the center.
Beading and hand stitching finished the dragonflies. By using sheer fabric the wings look more delicate and thin.
The hand stitching took longer that I initially expected, but was very worth it (and I still finished well before the Christmas deadline!).
See more of the techniques:
Sunflowers and Dragonflies: Part Two
Sunflower and Dragonflies: Part One
No comments:
Post a Comment