Embroidery experiments ....Near and Far....

I've been trying out some little bits and bobs...

...for the Near & Far exhibition next year.

In recent times I have tended to be a bit "free" and "experimental" with my stitching...

...but at the minute I seem to be going "back" to something more traditional...

...needlepoint in this instance.

Hmmmmm.....

These are my "twiddlings" to find my way in the direction of  (I think) a book cover....

...that will be done by one person in my story...

...for another person ...

It is so strange how this new story is unfolding in ways that I couldn't have imagined.

I am really enjoying the journey :-)

Have a good weekend...and keep safe lovely people...

x C

...slow...beady progress....

When I finished the needlepoint stitching.....

.....I felt a little "stuck" as to where to go with it.

As usual, I shifted my attention to something else for a while...

...and allowed the thoughts to come.

It always works!

The needlepoint panel is very flat.....

....and I wanted to "lift" it....quite literally....

....so I sat with the hat in my hands.....

...turning it around.....

...touching.....

...fondling.....

...and noticing the little bunches of sticky-up beads around the top amulet.

They are attached in a particular way....

...a bead on the bottom...

...then another 3 on the thread before going back down through the bottom one...

...to give the height and wobble.

I used a size 8 gold bead for the "foundation bead"...

...then 3 size 11 raku-coloured blue/green/purple beads for the top.

This is going to take AGES to get around the outside of the stitched panel...

...even though it's not huge...

...there is a dense concentration of beads going on here!!

Still.....

...the rhythm of ... up...one gold....three blue....down....up....one gold...three blue....down....

...allows me more thinking time......

...as I listen to the slight squeaky-grating sound of the beads as I work :-)


x C