Puffin eye

Eye design in silver, red & black metallic threads

I’ve been busy working away on the upper part of the head & eye. I’m really pleased with the look of the finished eye. I hope it’s going to look even better once the silver leather cheek is in place.

I’ve now got to start working on the beak design, I have various metallic threads & machine threads to help me create a stylised, but natural looking beak. This is definitely going to need working out on the practice frame, I hope to have something suitable for my tutor to comment about on Friday.

Wing area in progress

The wing area is still in progress, unfortunately I ran out of the gold passing thread I was using, so I hope the RSN still has the same reel & I can get some more of the same. I didn’t like to start the next part of the wing, just in case it’s not exactly the same & it notices. It was nice to have a break from pulling all the way through the layers of carpet felt & especially plunging the ends through, I had quite sore fingers at one point.

Gold work Puffin the couching begins

The first part of my couching marathon has begun. This was my first attempt at a basket weave pattern over hard string padding. The next couching phase is the wing area, leaving the soft string padding for cut work & gold plate to go in near to the end.

Mounting Luna for assessment

Pinning the embroidery to the mount board

It’s hard work pulling the fabric taught & pinning it to the mounting board, especially when you can’t seem to get it completely straight & no puckers around the embroidery

Gold work puffin: string padding

Showing felt & strong padding for gold work

The padding for the metallic threads is finished. The white area will be silver & orange area gold.

I’ve also been thinking about the basket weave pattern for the chest, the face & beak. I have acquired some rather nice red & black metallic threads for the beak & some iridescent gold leather for the feet & iridescent silver for the cheek. I’m glad I’m sampling & working designs & stitches out for myself, with a little help from my tutors.

Happy St George’s Day

Appliqué embroidery of water dragon

I thought it would be a good time to share my appliqué dragon.

Luna is finished

Silk shading of Luna

After 2 & a bit years I finished stitching Luna this morning 🤗. It’s been a long journey & there have been times, I’ve nearly given up, worked on other modules, I’m so happy the stitching is complete. I now have to mount her, get my paper work done & get her in for the summer assessment period.

One last push to finish Luna

Silk shading of Luna with source photo

Finished the ear turn backs today, I need to tinker about with the shading under her chin. I need my tutor to check it on Friday & hope we can start to add her whiskers

Gold work Puffin: phase 1 felt padding

Final felt layer

Last week was a long week, I tested positive for Covid 😤 , today I’m negative 🥳, all except for a cough 😕. So other than a bit of crocheting & hand quilting very little got done. This morning, feeling much better I finished the layers of felt padding. I have the string padding for the next stage.

Gold work puffin: the beginning

Starting a new module is always fun, although I’m still working away at finishing my silk shading, it’s at a point where things are a bit slow.

I like to think through my ideas my trying out or sampling. At this stage I kept going back to the initial design idea & revising it. Even though my tutor has agreed the design, I’m still working through my own ideas, I really don’t like blindly follow the tutors ideas, because it’s my work

Carpet felt under the wing

The design is painted on & the first bit of padding is being stitched into place. I hate carpet felt, it’s disgusting stuff; all itchy & hairy. It makes a tight mess of your fabric. Once it’s covered with a layer of felt it won’t be too bad ( I suppose)

Luna is almost finished

Silk shading progress of Luna

Luna now has two ears, I need to do a little more work on her face before stitching the ear turn backs.