I can’t do anything else on the banner until the linen arrives, so I can spend a bit of time catching up with other things. I need to put calico backs on each of the 4″ rainbow squares, I ought to put loops for the pole on the back of the banner toile, and I…
As I’ve been making transfers of the flowers on the banner design, I’ve needed to do a bit of simplification. The individual flowers and leaves that make up the foxgloves and ferns get smaller and smaller until they disappear; this works well on paper, but isn’t practical to embroider, especially as I’m planning on working…
It’s always interesting to see how others have done something, and when it comes to processional banners, they don’t come any better than this. I went for a visit to York Minster recently, to have a look at some of their ecclesiastical embroidery. I was fortunate to be able to speak to two very knowledgeable…
Continuing with the prep work, I’ve started making transfers for the flowers that’ll appear all the red panels on the front of the banner. I’m doing this with an iron-on transfer pencil – tracing the design with the transfer pencil, ready to iron onto linen for stitching. There is a complication, though: when you create…
The velvet’s arrived! It’s cotton velvet – we looked at 100% silk velvet (not silk/rayon mix, which I find awful to work with), but to get it in the right colour, and with a dense enough pile, was so appallingly expensive, that we opted for cotton instead. I’d have been terrified to cut the silk…
Here’s a toile I made of the banner a couple of months ago. It’s full size – a yard square, plus bits top and bottom. It’s made from cotton sheeting, with the central cross attached with machine zig-zag stitch in gold. I wanted to make a mock-up of the banner for a few reasons: it…
Here’s Fiona’s design, taped to my drawing board. The paper was a bit wider than the board, so I’ve trimmed it (badly), but the design is unaffected. I’ve started on some prep work, ready for the fabric arriving. I’ve decided to do the central crosses first – that’s crosses plural, as there’s one on both…
I mentioned before that I’m starting work on a big new project. I’m thirlled to be able to tell you that this is a commission from the Northumbrian Association to make a replica of a lost Medieval processional banner dedicated to St Cuthbert, for presentation to Durham Cathedral. This a major project, and I’m really…
The last of the squares I’ve done as part of an Embroiderers’ Guild group project, and I think my favourite. This time, the outline is chain stitch in Gutermann gold metallic thread (the sort that comes on a reel, like sewing thread, and is horrible to work with), and the filling-in is split stitch. I…
The second of the squares I’ve done. 4″ square again, and more goldwork, but really in gold this time. The trunk and stems are in couched no. 8 Jap gold thread, and the leaves in rough purl and bright check purl. The trunk is worked on one layer of yellow felt, and the leaves on…