Cartouche with Flowers

This design was stitched on a rich pink silk fabric using Japanese embroidery techniques. This is my original design, it contains couched gold, surface embroidery, cording,flat silk embroidery over a laid twisted silk ground and stump work.

After transferring the design to the silk which was mounted in a 29" Japanese embroidery frame, I began by laying the dark aqua flat silk , twisted, 2 into 1, to cover the center circle. This was held in place with short stitch holding using a 1into 2 twist of the same color.

Next I couched one pair of #2 Japanese gold onto the cartouche shape and the extended scroll shapes.

A space was left between the gold and the aqua circle, this was filled with a single center braided cord using a soft pink silk, twisted with a ½ pair of #1 gold.

The wild roses and forget- me- knots were stitched as shown, some on top of the laid work and some directly onto the ground fabric.

The dragonfly has a flat silk body couched over padding. The wings were made separately using a gold wire outline and detached buttonhole stitch in a variegated metal thread.

TIP: Whenever you stitch, draw or paint a circle it always helps to fool the eye if the circle edges are broken in several places, this disguises flaws in the exactness of the circle.

I recently entered this piece in an EGA judged exhibit and won First Place in the silk and metal category.

Note: Rachel entered The Eastern Phoebe and the Lacewing design in the juried 18th Annual EGA show. Her piece is traveling around the country. In North Carolina, it received the Viewer's Choice Award.