Sunday 16 March 2014

FAL 2014 - first finish!

I have actually ticked an item off my Follow Along list!  It was a crazy list, you can see it here if you're so inclined, which I fully expected to complete in January, by February I thought the whole thing was a lost cause!


Finish Along 2014

The January challenge for Needlequest was silk shading, which I interpreted as long and short stitch. The perfect time to work on my V&A Scabious crewel work kit.  I put it on the FAL list and I'm glad I did as it's shaping up to be my only finish this quarter!  



Ta dah!  All embroidered and pressed, though you wouldn't guess that, and waiting to be framed as I will not be turning this into a cushion to be sat on!



I started the kit back in 2010 and ran out of the crewel.  I'm glad I did as looking back I'm keen on neither colours nor stitching.



My stitching vastly improved whilst embroidering this piece.  There was the odd boo-boo - see above.  The pale leave should be behind the stem, I embroidered it over the stem.  I attempted to cover it and it does look like I succeeded in real life, but not in this photo!




This stem, the one in the middle with the bud, concerned me whilst stitching.  I thought it was too thick and dithered about highlighting it for a few weeks.  I got the advice to wait until I'd done and I did and it doesn't look too thick to me anymore!



I'd stupidly started with the flowers so when I put the leaves in, the edges of the flowers that overlap the leaves kind of sank back.  I added some more stitches to try and bring them forward.  Lesson learnt.



I am so chuffed this is finished!  Now to find a frame... I should put that on my FAL 2nd quarter list...




Related posts


the beginning
flat flowers
finishing the stems







25 comments:

Gilly Tee said...

Well done you, it's fantastic.
Gillx

Brigitte said...

This is a really gorgeous finish. Congratulations!

cauchy09 said...

hooray!! it seems difficult for you not to focus on the flaws but i'm glad you're proud of it in the end. it's a lovely embroidered piece!

Chrissy said...

That looks amazing! Well done for getting it finished. It'll look beautiful in a frame.

Sarah in Stitches said...

Yay! Congrats on the finish! It looks lovely :D

JoJo said...

It came out beautifully! Well done!

Rachel said...

There's another reason for not doing the flowers too early - somehow the piece will often feel spotty, and progress is hard to see, making a big piece disheartening. Starting with stems helps to tie it all together, and the flowers take their proper place as focal points.

Anna said...

Superbe !
Have a nice week !
Anna

Pam @Threading My Way said...

Just beautiful, Wendy!!! It'll look fabulous framed and hanging on a wall.

Unknown said...

Bravo! It is simply stunning - the flowers seem to glow! You should be very proud indeed, it is beautiful! Chrissie x

Sandra :) said...

It turned out beautifully, Wendy - and deserves to be framed and hung!

SuperMomNoCape said...

It turned out just lovely! And I'll bet it feels great to check it off the list.

Unknown said...

That is a gorgeous piece! I have embroidered in the past but am not a patient person. It's relaxing but my mind races ahead to the finished produce.
YOur piece is just lovely.

CeLynn said...

Very nicely done! Yay for a finish!

Jane said...

So glad you persevered and got this finished, it looks lovely. Hope you find a frame for it, and can enjoy having it on the wall

margaret said...

don`t be so hard on yourself, I am sure no one will notice your so called errors if they had not be pointed out, It is a beautiful piece and yes should not be sat on but framed and on the wall for all to see and asdmire

Anonymous said...

This is lovely, glad you're going to frame it - it's too good to sit on!

pennydog said...

Fab finish! How big is it?

Janine @ Rainbow Hare said...

Congratulations on this beautiful finish. It really is stunning :)

And thank you for linking up with Wool on Sundays :)

Nancy Lee said...

Yeah.. Everything Margaret said! It looks great. Well done.

Vera said...

Nice finish. Congrats! I especially like the white on flowers.

Jo Ferguson said...

What a great finish. It's stunning. I wouldn't want anyone putting their behinds on it, either. I can't wait to see how you decide to frame it.

helenjean@midgetgemquilts said...

your embroidery is fabulous. It is lovely to see all these old skills having a revival.

Alex said...

Fantastic work!

Katy Cameron said...

Woohoo, congrats :o)