Monday, April 1, 2019

Japanese Embroidery Phase 1 - Cords

I had a very productive weekend. Woke up early on Saturday and spent a full day finishing those cords. Looking at it from afar, there are some areas that could be better, but they came out pretty good and I'm satisfied.


Since I was on a roll, I just kept going and finished the iris leaf blades as well.


At this point, my piece is 90% completed! I just have a ton of veins and stems left to put in.

 

I went to a concert that night (went to see Muse and they were awesome!), so I pretty much slept in the next day. Around noon, I told myself I really should do something with my day, even if it's just twisting threads.

The stems and veins are basically karayori thread couched down. It's the same thread I used for the outline of the paper. The thread is tightly over twisted, dampened with water and set aside to dry. Which is why in the next picture you see a dampened cloth. If you look closely, you'll see I already have a strand wound around the bars of my frame waiting to dry. It doesn't take long to dry but I figured I'd make a few at a time.


While those threads were drying, I made couching thread in the same color.


Since I had a few good hours of sun left (hurrah for the return of spring), I figured I might as well start the veins on the iris leaves.


Every time I'd finish a section, I'd think "should I stop here?" but then decide I can squeeze a bit more time. Next thing I knew, all the blades were done and I ran out of couching thread. It won't be long now, I just need a few good days of stitching and it will be done. I'll have to start thinking about the finishing process.


I'm really happy I'm so close to finishing my piece. This way when I start class on Friday for the next phase piece I can do it with a clear conscience. I can't wait to get started on Hiogi.

6 comments:

  1. It’s really lovely! Congratulations on a great job.

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  2. Oh, well done! It's it wonderful to get so much time to work on it!

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  3. It’s looking fabulous! And after your trials with the cords, it has definitely paid off. And on a side note, I think Muse is my favourite live band 😊

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  4. Huzzah! It's so beautiful still, I know I say it every time but it really makes me go OOOOOOOHHHHHH and AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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  5. That is a beautiful effect, I can see why you wanted to keep going.
    Glad you enjoyed the concert, it's been too long since I saw a live band.

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  6. Oooh and Aaaaah! So much progress, and it's all so pretty and fascinating.

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