Historical Sampler – A Pansy and a Waspish Bee

 

http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/bookbindings/FullImage.aspx?&ImageId=ImageId=42145&Copyright=BL

done in split stitch. It looks a bit funny, but I’ve orientated it in the same direction as my pansy below.

Here’s my interpretation

I outlined the edges in split stitch (orientated differently to the filling stitches) to give clear edges to the petals.

I used some flat silk (the orange colour) that Paula Hewitt gifted me. It was like embroidering with cream!

The Waspish Bee

I needed to fill some space around my calendular flower. (Mrs Christie’s flower) (Yes, it is quite probably a calendular – I have to do a post on that) and I wanted to do a bee.

This was because I’d found a bee in Jane Nicholas’ “Complete Book of Stumpwork Embroidery” – one using Turkey Knots for the body.

I actually used the body shape from “Elizabethan Needlework Accessories” because I thought it a bit shapelier.

I had trouble when it came to picking the colours. There was already so much yellow (snail), orange (calendular) and gold (leaves).

For this reason, I changed to colours more suited to a wasp – a steel grey and chocolate brown.

For how to do Turkey work, I have Janet Perry of Nuts About NeedlePoint to thank.

In http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/?s=turkey

she points to http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2006/aug.php

(ANG Stitch of the Month)

and

http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2008/11/cover-up.html

(Jane at the Chilly Hollow NeedlePoint Adventure).

I found both tutorials very useful. Thanks Jane!

I did find Turkey work a bit boring and a bit difficult to work. I’d hate to do a whole rug in it!

I needed my needlegrabber quite often to get my needle through.

 

Here the turkey work is covered up (to save the cut off fluffy bits taking over my sampler in a mass emigration), prior to cutting.

Cutting is next ….. excitement!

I’m going to make the top pair of wings detached. This means making a teeny pair seperately, then storing them away until I can attach detached pieces later on.

The sampler so far ……

I’ve got more space near the calendular – I’ll probably add a leaf. Plus I have great plans for those 3 leaves in the bottom right hand corner.