Stitched Pieces

I am not a huge cross-stitch fan, mostly because it takes so long and is not at all creative. Nonetheless, since I don’t own a TV, I need to do something to veg, and the end results are beautiful. Someday soon I hope to learn Japanese embroidery, which is (I think) a much lovelier and more exacting technique.

Stitched CastleThis is The Castle, by Teresa Wentzler. I stitched it in college and only got around to framing it last year.
Lily MaidenAnother Teresa Wentzler design–Lily Maiden.
BlackworkThis is an example of blackwork, which is Spanish in origin. (It was popularized in England by Catherine of Aragon, when she married one of the Tudor kings.) I prefer it to cross-stitch because of the delicate lacy look, but it’s hard to find good blackwork designs. This one is by Leon Conrad.
PeacockI jokingly refer to this piece as “my albatross”, as it’s been half-done for over a year now. This is Teresa Wentzler’s Peacock Tapestry, probably the most complex and difficult piece she’s created.

This piece is interesting because I decided to stitch the peacock in silk rather than the customary cotton embroidery floss. This meant matching several dozen colors and color blends–I spent six hours and $180 at Needle in a Haystack, trying to find exactly the right color matches. The result is subtle but definitely worthwhile–the bird’s colors seem to glow from the duller pear tree. (Silk is more translucent, slightly thicker, and glossier than cotton embroidery floss, producing a jewel-toned effect.) A closeup shows the difference more distinctly–the peacock is silk, the pear tree cotton.

I really hope I finish this someday…
Oriental PoppiesAnother unfinished Teresa Wentzler, this is Oriental Poppies. I’m adding red metallic to the poppy leaves, and am hand-dyeing embroidery floss for the outside floral border. Of course, heaven only knows when or if I’ll get around to finish it…unfinished stitching projects seem to be my specialty.
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