Astrolabe - Lesson 7 & 8

As we are nearing the end of August, I wanted to share the last bit of stitching on the Astrolabe so I can start September with a clean slate. In lesson 7, the empty areas on the yellow felt are stitched.

On the outside portion, the area is filled in with couched Japan gold going around. It looks really pretty but let me tell you my fingers were really sore when I was done. The felt is really thick, so I sometimes had to really push in with a needle. It was better to do this part over multiple sessions. Especially the plunging!

The other half, is my favorite. Using another weight of Japan gold, the thread was braided and couched down to hold the pattern. It was a new technique for me and I really enjoyed stitching it.

It really fills the area quite nicely.

Ta-da! All done! There are areas I'm really happy with and others I wish I'd done better, but I'm really satisfied with it.

Now onto the finishing! In lesson 8, glue is applied to the back of the Rete and Adelaide and left to dry. I did this ahead of time so by the time the embroidery is completed I can just get into the finishing.

The excess fabric is cut away and then with a craft knife, the areas are carefully cut away.

This was fun and frustrating and I had to stop myself at some point as otherwise I would keep trimming. There was always a bit of white that could be cut away.

I have a trick for that. If you find that you can't reach or can't safely trim off the fabric, just take a black marker and color the white. When the entire piece is put together, you won't be able to see the fabric anymore as the black will just blend in.

Here it is all put together. The finishing is done the same way we did on the Mariner's Compass, with a wire going through all three layers and tied down at the back.

With this, the journey ends. It wasn't that long ago since I started the first naval instrument, but it feels like years. The end game was always the Astrolabe. During my trip to Turkey in 2018, I saw an Atsrolabe at the museum and thought that would make an amazing goldwork project. Imagine my surprise when Cythina Jackson posts her goldwork Astrolabe. Using what I learned in this class I hope to stitch it one day. One day... I have a lot of projects I'd like to stitch on my wish list :)

(click on the post to see the video below)