Embroidered Collage

  This is one of the motifs with more complex stitches that I referred to in my last post about this kitted crewel embroidery project.  I can really appreciate the affect that the combination of stitches creates.  I've also been stitching on the more repetitive leaves and stems that only use long and short shading stitches.

The middle line of this motif, with the crosses over the laid thread, was a bit of a challenge because I had to keep nudging the laid thread into the appropriate curve.  Stitching the trellis felt odd because I was trying to get an even grid of squares in a surface embroidery technique instead of on a evenly woven background intended for such a purpose.  I only sort of succeeded.  The crewel stitch, along the edges, was actually a bit of a surprise.  I had done the stitch before on counted thread, but switching from a few strands of floss used to outline a blackwork design to wool on twill had a very different feel in my hands somehow.

I'm beginning to have thoughts about how this technique would look stitched directly on a painted surface and how it could be integrated with other techniques, but I'm not quite ready to share.  I think I'll have to try something when I'm done with the kit.