Leaves

Hello again. Happy Halloween to all.

The next step in my flower arrangement was to add some leaves. I did this using Satin Stitch. Firstly, I drew some leaves in various places to add balance to the composition. Unfortunately the pencil marks are so faint that you can't really see them. Then I chose a dark green thread and worked the leaves using Satin Stitch, angling the needle to work around the curve of the leaf. On one leaf it was necessary to change direction altogether to work a turn in the leaf.

Once the leaves were completed I finished off the composition with a scattering of lazy daisy flowers and knots. More on that later.

Stems and Flowers

Welcome to a brand new week. Today I continue the story of how to embroider my flower picture. Once I had finished the lily with its long and short stitch and bullion anthers, a picture was beginning to develop. So I decided to continue by adding some stems (using stem stitch) above the two flowers already completed.

What I did next demonstrates another use of Lazy Daisy stitch. I worked lazy daisy stitches alternating from side to side along the stems, rather than working in the normal circle. However, you could just as easily go up one side of the stem and down the other if you prefer. In this way I made leaves and flowers along the stems.

It is only the colours that I chose that determine whether what you see are flowers or leaves. Are the pale blue-grey stitches leaves or flowers? I had originally intended that they should be blue salvia, but I did not have the right shade of blue, so now they look more the the grey-green leaves that we see on some gum trees in Australia. I made the centre stem a sage green colour and added mauve flowers angling the lazy daisy stitches downwards to suggest heather.

Other flowers that could be suggested by the use of these stitches are bluebells, red salvia, or even snowdrops. I am sure you can think of many more. It all depends on what colour thread you choose to use.

Bullion Anthers

Hello again. Just where does the time go? I have been away for a few days, so that does not help.

The next step in the growth of my design was to add some stamens and anthers to my lily. To make the stamens, I just stitched three lines of stem stitch, using yellow thread, straight across the back petal of the flower, extending beyond it by a few millimetres. Then with a tan brown thread I made bullion stitches to form the pollen bearing anthers of the flower.

The instructions on how to embroider the bullions are shown in pictorial form above. I have included instructions for both the right and left hands.

I am not on friendly terms with the pollen bearing anthers on lilies. Not only does the pollen stain anything it touches, but it makes me sneeze. So, they represent guaranteed hayfever to me. However, the cloth variety are quite safe and add a nice finish to the flower.