True Confessions
I haven’t blogged three out of the last four nights because I simply can’t think of anything to say. Nothing new has happened since about 10 days ago when Carolyn and Robbin worked on the real lace. I’ve been taking this project one bite at a time for over a year (remember the old joke about how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time…) and right now there just isn’t another bite on the fork.
Don’t mistake me – there’s plenty left to do. More silk embroidery (more trefoils!) more GST embroidery, more lace (WAY more lace!). And there are more things to figure out – how to manage the gold work, how to marshall the legions who’d like to sew on sequins, and don’t even mention the whole putting-it-together part (no, really, DON’T mention it!). And then when it’s finally done, there’ll be the creating an exhibit to go with it.
But right now, this week, no decisions or choices are in the offing. We’ve got an embroidery session starting on Friday, the first one with embroiderers AND lace makers working at the same time. That’ll be exciting. And hopefully some of them will bring some show & tell that I can then share with you. But right now…..
So, if you have any wonderments, anything you wish I’d explain, anything I explained so long ago you don’t remember where we’re coming from, anything at all, let me know.
To make up for assigning you the blog for the next couple of days, I’ll leave you with a picture. This is a detail of a gorgeous 17th century raised-work embroidery which belongs to Joanna Hill, a textile conservator and friend of Tricia’s. Joanna so kindly brought this embroidery to a couple of sessions last summer and let us all get really close to it and take lots of pictures. It’s the only real 17th century artifact I can actually post pictures of here. I love that the bird has a bug in its beak. Ewww.
Tags: Carolyn, GST, Joanna Hill, Lace, raised work embroidery, Robbin, Tricia
April 7th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
The picture is stunning! I love the leaves!
I know what you mean about running out of stuff to say, but I think you’ve done splendidly! I do enjoy reading the posts on here, and I learn a lot every time I do.
I’d love to hear more about the plans for the plaited braid. Have you narrowed down a willing team? and decided absolutely on the metal thread?
The GST works absolutely fabulously in all kinds of different surface stitches. I was dying to try it in satin stitch, and I did – and it works well and looks nice. Everyone who looks close up at my current project cannot believe the thread. And they all want to touch it and see it on the spool… and inevitably, they just have to separate some of the gold from the silk. I’ve lost about three inches like that so far!
Keep up the great work!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I, too would love to hear more about the state of the plaited braid!
Love the photo, and actually have a question on it. Hard to see on my monitor… are the wonderfully fuzzy tops of the acorns made of a looped stitch like turkey-work, or are they actually silver purl that’s been pulled? Love the work, though. Wish I could have seen it first hand!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Hi
Well… if you are running out of things to show, how about more of the motifs? And showing more of the progress on the stitching? It would be nice to see the progress!
Ta
Carol
April 9th, 2008 at 9:11 am
I agree with Carol. Several women in my local chapter of EGA have asked how much of the jacket has been completed now. I would love to see photos of the pieces in their current state!
December 13th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
I think this bird is a kingfisher with a fish in its mouth…