Elizabethan Holly Leaf Garland (continued)

The second leaf on the holly garland has been worked in Au Ver a Soie Perlee (#491).  The button-hole edge around the leaf was worked in Gobelins #2125.

Couched #371 gold wire used to create a vein.


The actual size of the leaf is 1-1/2" long.  I intend to add beads to represent holly berries, but haven't decided how I'll do this yet.

The second leaf was worked onto the DMC Memory Thread without cutting the first leaf off.  I'll progress in this way to create a garland.






The second photo shows the beginning of the first leaf, which was worked in Gilt Sylke Twist.

Using a contrasting color sewing thread, the DMC Memory Thread is couched over the holly leaf drawing.  Next, the center of the motif is filled in with corded detached buttonhole.  Both leaves were created in this way.


Someone asked me what I plan to do with the garland.  One idea is to wrap it around the base of a tall candlestick, molded to appear as if it's climbing up the candlestick.  Another use would be to wrap it around the handle of a basket.  Start at the bottom of the basket handle and wrap it almost half way up the handle; just enough to add color, but not so much that it interferes with holding the basket.  The garland could also be fashioned into a tiny wreath.  Or couched onto a black velvet scarf for a unique accessory.  The possibilities are nearly endless....

Elizabethan Holly Folly

I've been toying with an idea for using DMC's new Memory Thread.  Although it's not a bonafide Elizabethan thread or metal wire, I think it's Elizabethan in spirit.  With a piece of Memory Thread in your hand, you can't help but begin to make shapes with it.  The thread is comprised of 40% copper, 34% viscose, 23% cotton, and 3 % polyamide.  I suspect the copper is the core of the thread and provides its wonderful malleability. 

I thought it would be  fun to create a miniature holly garland with it.  In these photos I used detached button-hole stitch (in Gilt Sylke Twist thread) to make a holly leaf right on the Memory Thread, without cutting the leaf away from the remainder of the Memory Thread.  

It needs gold veining to give it a little more bling, and red berries.  You could either attach red glass beads as berries, or attempt to embroider them in Elizabethan corded brussels stitch, as outlined in Jacqui Carey's Sweet Bags.

 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Inspirations Issue #76 to feature Winter Mistletoe Scarf

The Australian embroidery magazine, Inspirations, will feature the design and instructions for my Winter Mistletoe Scarf in issue 76, to be released later this month.

This has been a very interesting year for me, full of new experiences & opportunities.   Not only did I start a new job in a new field, but for the very first time I had an embroidery design published.  I was barely done wrapping up the details on the first publication when I was contacted by Inspirations about the Mistletoe Scarf design. 

I'm really excited to see the upcoming issue of Inspirations magazine.  I believe all of you who follow Elizabethan embroidery will want to get their hands on a copy, if at all possible.  

I have been corresponding with the lovely ladies at Inspirations for months.  At the start of the process I mailed my scarf to them, along with any design notes, etc.  (Inspirations writes the instructions for their featured projects in order to keep formatting consistent throughout their magazine.)  Our discussions on my design began.  I was tickled to find out that they were unaware of one of the fibers I used on the scarf - Gilt Sylke Twist!  In researching the thread, they stumbled across the whole Plimoth Jacket project, of which they were also unaware.  Of course they were very excited to read about the reproduction jacket.  As a result of my having used GST threads on my scarf, this issue of Inspirations will include an article about the jacket project as well as my scarf design!  How's that for serendipity?  

Once again, I want to thank everyone who follows my embroidery and who has helped me along the way.  It has been an amazing journey.  The pleasant surprise for me is that my love of embroidery has been the agent by which I have met so many wonderful people who went out of their way to assist me with no expectations in return.  

Which leads me to wonder... if the next President of the United States was not only a woman, but an Embroiderer, maybe my world would be a better place.