I finished my black/silver/gray version of Laura Perin's Amethyst Dreams and posted a photo of RCTP.
Linda, if you're reading this, I changed my border. Did not like what was called for and substituted black Silk Lame Braid from Rainbow Gallery. It took more than one card. If I had the time, I might have ordered the Silk Lame in Pewter and given it a try. But this is off to the framers tomorrow.
Ellice, I Baroque looks outstanding. Can't wait to see it in person. I'll be at the store all week. SL is going to SanFran with her daughter. Bring it by for a look see.
Glad to hear it - and after all our discussions of what to use for the border - glad the Silk Lame worked out. On Baroque, the outer border just sort of ends, it's a grid of 4 sided stitches on anldeand I'm thinking of putting a simple finish on it. In the book, Jean Hilton relates having this comment that it needs another edge from her daughter - and though she didn't do one, leaves it to the stitcher to decide. Actually, she even suggests just ending with the outer diamond, not even doing the outer border. I'm thinking of adding in Silk Lame' for that new outer edge, maybe with a bit of the ombre (which I don't really like stitching with as it unbraids) for the look. We'll see.
Jumping in 'cause Donna is at the shop - in the places where waterlillies is used, I believe that most of the time Donna used 2 strands. I'm sure she'll answer you tonight.
The silk lame' is really nice. I had provided the option to substitute it for highlights on some. Some of the women did that - using highlights for one of the colors, and silk lame for the other. The silk lame is heavier - but works well if you're using 2 strands of silk. One of the women did hers with 1 strand of waterlilies, and then plied down the silk lame'. I think most of us felt the plied down silk lame' was overkill.
Hey - now it's only 4 hours. Donna has of course now inspired me to finish mine up next week so that it can head to the framer - we're hoping to have a few of them from the class to exhibit as a group at Woodlawn. But, I'm going to the CAPS-Flyers game tonight - in our yucky rain which will be ice by the time we leave.
Thanks for all the nice comments. I am very, very pleased with how this piece turned out. When I started it, I was ambivalent. I'd look at it and love it, and then look at it and hate it.
My family says it's "not me." Whatever that means.
No, the Waterlilies - I'm using one strand throughout - I will see how it looks and may go back and do a second one in a couple of sections when it's done. Right now I'm doing the section on the lower left of the main diamond in one, as called for. I did the one to the top right of the diamond in one as well.- I think Ellice's instructions said one or two, your choice, as long as it's balanced.
Maybe you're discovering a "new" you? Sometimes a person just *has* to try something new...you won't know if you like it until you try! More power to you, Donna!
with the Waterlilies and the my needlepoint inc. silks, I used exactly what she called for. I know that sometimes one strand looks thin, but I've seen a piece where the stitcher used two strands of silk where one was called for and there wasn't as much definition between the piece inside the inner border and outside the inner border. I agree with Ellice, do what you like and what you think looks best.
It's pretty interesting. The piece we were able to use as a finished example was done by a very fine, male, stitcher (with lots of awards for technical excellence). We're friendly, and he & I talk a lot about things to teach, work on pulling threads (his wife doesn't stitch). Anyhow, he like many of us, pretty much does his own colors, etc. And had done the piece in celadon greens, very pale aqua - it's very spa-like. But his looked almost heavy in some of the areas where he had used 2 instead of 1 strand of waterlilies. Someone else subbed in Impressions, which is pretty, but so much more matte and it also looked heavy. The sample piece also had some differences in his stitching - it is gorgeous, but doesn't quite show that difference in light-to dark that the texture change gives as you go from the center outward with the piece. And that light effect that happens with the differences in weight of the thread is definitely part of what you can learn with the piece.
I think the decision about strands of waterlilies has a lot to do with the colorway and color of the canvas.
In the original class, one of the girls doing the Aqua/teal colorway used one strand for all the silks, and plied down the silk lame. It looks very, very wispy, and I thought a bit too light, but she wanted that look. In the
2nd class group - same colorway - stitcher did with 2 strands, and it looks much nicer - you still see the difference in weight as you go from the inner box to the outer. The piece is on the french blue canas, and I wonder if with 1 it was just too similar to the thread so it looked quite spidery. The other thing that happens of course, is that some of these dye combinations, I think the thread is just slightly heftier - and in most situations it's insignificant, but laying those longish stitches in the channels on canvas, the combination of background color, and thread could contribute.
Mine is being done with 2 plies - but I'm on grey canvas, and when I tried 1 ply I wasn't happy - but I think I've mixed - one pair is with 1 strand, the other with 2. It still shows the light effect. We'll see - I'm planning to pick it back up this weekend after I finish Baroque - which should be done by Sunday. Except the beading.
I doing it on white canvas, which is also very effective for the black/ silver colorway. So far, I am very pleased, but am waiting to get more of the other threads done before deciding on two. I think in some of these sections, the highlighting/french knots/ cross stich threads may make the difference.
You're absolutely right about the layers, etc making a difference. I think this is one of those pieces where you do some stitches, and then sit back, take a look, and decide if it's good, or you need to adjust.
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