A new needle painting project in progress

I actually started this one on Friday night and the first five photos were taken under the light in my study, but have surprised me by coming out quite well.  It's not a Trish Burr design, although it does look quite like her lovely pieces, it's from 'The A-Z of Thread Painting' and is called 'Spun Silk' by Australian June Godwin.  This is the photo of the piece as taken from the book.

I'm going to be making this one up into the manicure set that I originally intended a blackberries stumpwork design for and this single open rose will go on the back of it, no leaves or anything included beyond a few stitches of stalk.

This is my tracing of the design onto the cotton-based fabric.  I don't use any special methods, this was just traced directly from the pattern at the back of the book onto the fabric (which was light and fine enough to see right through without 'lightbox' style aid!) with a mechanical pencil.  I like those for tracing work as they have a lovely fine point and are not so soft that they smudge. This photo has been 'touched up' somewhat so that you can see the outline more clearly, thus the fabric appearing relatively yellow (compared to the photos below). It's antique (warm) white (DMC Blanc, Anchor #2 shade) really.

The first stitching session got as far as this

With a (larger than life) close up of the buds

Over the next couple of days I filled in the majority of the leaves

And this is where I left it when I stopped to take photos and post about it

And now, back down to it...  I'm really enjoying working this piece and I'm also, much to my surprise, enjoying working with just one strand.  I thought it would take forever - twice as many needlestrokes as with two strands etc, but I'm finding time is saved by not having to make sure the two strands lay perfectly flat next to each other and don't get crossed over each other, thus spoiling the appearance and even the sheen on the threads.  I could be a convert!

PS The stumpwork poppy is also in progress, but the needlelace petals are rather a bore to work all in one go!!  However, I have replaced that blurry side view of the beetle with a nice, clear shot and added in a view from the front too, so feel free to revisit the stumpwork beetle.=)

© Elizabeth Braun 2011