Oak leaves – setting up

After the detour into goldwork, I’m back to a long-and-short project again now. I want to try something a bit different with the background this time, but that’s a long way off – I need to do the actual embroidery first. This design features stylised, rather exaggerated oak leaves. Here’s the design with some gold…

Or nué peacock feather: finished at last!

It’s finished at last!  The last section was a bit of a slog, but it’s done. Last time, I’d finished the disc at the top of the feather; the next stage was the last few fronds on the top: Then it was just a straight run to the finish in the last remaining colour, the…

Or nué peacock feather: getting there…

Still slow progress, though to be fair that’s mostly down to doing other things and not having time to sew, but there is some progress none the less.  And here it is: I’m pleased with how the disc at the top of the feather looks, so here’s a close-up: I feel like I’m onto the…

Or nué peacock feather: progress update II

A new colour!  Turquoise, this time – Madeira stranded cotton no, 1103.  This is part of the disc at the top of the feather, and reaching that in itself feels like something of a landmark. So here it is: This means that I now have four threads on the go at the same time: the…

Or nué peacock feather: progress update

I’m still carrying on with the or nué project, though I must admit that although it’s a very time-consuming technique, I’ve also not been spending as much time on sewing as usual due to other non-sewing commitments, so progress is slower than normal. It is coming along, though, and here’s how it’s looking now: I’ll be…

Or nué peacock feather: extreme close up

The linen I’m using is a medium weight.  I don’t know what count it is, but to give you an idea, here’s a close up of it with a ruler showing 2.5 cm or an inch: The reason I’m telling you this is to give you an idea of how closely together the stitches I’m…

Or nué peacock feather: the second colour

Quite a bit of progress to show you today.  Some more of the shaft: Starting the fronds, also in blue, and starting the second colour, green: In this project, that’s as exciting as it gets. The green is a rather nice bottle green, Madeira no. 1304.  Here’s a bit more of it, with the first green…

Or nué peacock feather: blue shaft

This isn’t going to be the speediest of projects, I’m afraid, so all I have to show today is the start of the feather’s shaft, in blue: The blue is one strand of Madeira stranded cotton no. 1102.  Here’s a close up: Next time, I should have started on the feather’s frondy bits, and maybe…

Peacock feather: or nué

As part of illustrating the articles elsewhere on the site, I’m now working on a piece of or nué for the article Goldwork – couching with colour and or nué (I’ve done the ‘couching with colour‘ part already). ‘Or nué’ means ‘shaded gold’, and is a form of goldwork embroidery where the entire design is…

Peacock feather: couching with colour

I mentioned before that I’m making a few demonstration pieces to add to the articles elsewhere on the site, and the next one to be done is Goldwork – couching with colour and or nué. I’ve done the ‘couching with colour’ half so far, with a peacock feather design: A close-up shows the gold thread…