Summer 2024: Google ended its email subscription service in 2021. I believe I've found a replacement, but haven't had time to test it. I have been stitching a little bit here and there and have some posts ready for when the email subscription is active again. Fingers crossed, I'll have time to rouse this blog out of its dormancy sometime this year.

18 August 2019

A Whiter White

It's snowdrop flower time on Melbury Hill's Galanthus Collector. The Heathway crewel white isn't white enough for a good contrast with the linen twill ground fabric. That means all the embroidery on the bud has to come out with the help of a laying tool and scissors.

Preparing to remove some embroidery with a laying tool and some scissors

I don't enjoy removing embroidery. It's painful! However, sometimes needs must, especially when you are experimenting.

I'm replacing the Heathway white with Bella Lusso white. In addition to being a brighter white, the Bella Lusso is also a finer thread, perhaps more so than might be indicated in the photo below. (Heathway is on the left, Bella on the right.)

A comparison of Heathway crewel wool and Bella Lusso wool

After re-doing the bud, I filled the white petals of the central flower with long and short stitch. Like Heathway, Bella Lusso is a lovely thread to stitch with.

Close-up of central snowdrop flower showing the white sections partially embroidered

Next, some grey contour lines were added to the petals:

Basic snowdrop embroidery complete with addition of grey contour lines

I was happier with the brighter white, but the petals looked a bit flat. They needed a little more shading or definition or something along their edges where white and grey meet. I tried out some different greys to see how they would look alongside the white. One was too dark (left side of centre petal), one was too light (right side of centre petal), and one was just right (along edge of right petal). It's a Bella Lusso which is nice because being a finer thread means the added definition will be a little more subtle (and easier to add in).

Verious grey crewel wools being tested on the central snowdrop flower to add shadows and depth

Below, the Bella grey has been added along the sides of the central petal and a bit of shadow has been added under edges of the two side petals.

Central crewel snowdrop flower with initial shadows added

I may add a little more grey later, but for now it's good enough.

Completed snowdrop flower in crewel with addition of green half circles on French knots on inner petlas

I'm enjoying working on and watching this piece develop. As I don't really have a plan for what I'm doing, I can't wait to see what happens next!

2 comments :

  1. Unpicking your stitching isn't a nice job to do, but I do like the whiter white. It's looks beautiful!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the compliment. I think the worst thing about removing the stitching is wasting the beautiful thread!

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