Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Hand Embroidery Project Completed!

Here it is, at long last, after approximately 380 hours from start to finish - an embroidery project worked entirely by hand, in silk threads and gold. My goal was to finish by this past Sunday, April 1st, to deliver on Monday morning. I missed the deadline by one day, and delivered it Tuesday morning.

Hand Embroidered Agnus Dei


Continue on to see the close-ups!

This is an example of ecclesiastical embroidery. I've been giving regular updates on the progress of this project, and you can find them all in order here:

This past weekend, I finished the gold around the edges, the blood, and the finish work on the hill, adding grass and flowers.

Hand Embroidered Agnus Dei - flowers in flat silk


Here's a shot of a few bunches of flowers around the foot. The flowers are worked in flat silk - some in Au Ver a Soie Soie Ovale and some in True Embroideries Sleave Silk from Helen Stevens. I was rather random in the creation of the flowers - I wanted the effect of wild flowers - not anything stylized.

Hand Embroidered Agnus Dei - more flowers in flat silk


Here are the yellow flowers at the base of the staff. For colors, I wanted to mimic the brighter colors of spring rather than pastels. I thought the effect would be better, considering the brighter colors of the whole work.

Hand Embroidered Agnus Dei - embroidered hill with flowers


Here's the whole hill. I didn't want "too many" flowers - sometimes less is more! The tufts of grass are just straight stitches in two strands of Soie d'Alger. I combined two colors in some blades of grass, and in others, used just one.

Hand Embroidered Agnus Dei - blood worked in stem stitch


The blood is part of the symbolism of the whole image - the sacrificial Lamb of God (Agnus Dei). It is worked in three colors of red, all in stem stitch.

Hand Embroidered Agnus Dei - lamb outline in YLI silk


This is a close-up of the outlining on the lamb, above the back legs. I wanted a little definition in the body of the lamb, so I outlined it in stem stitch, using one strand of YLI silk in a grey-ish brown. I didn't want a "bold" outline. YLI silk is fine and well-suited for delicate lines.

Hand Embroidered Agnus Dei - gold couching


You can see here a close up on the gold couching, and, above it, part of the outlining of the inside of the gold. Using the same YLI silk - one strand - that's used around the lamb, I outlined around the whole inside of the gold trim. I wanted a "hint" of a shadow and a finished edge. Underneath the corner of the book here, I worked two rows, since there was a small gap of white between the corner of the book and the gold. If I had thought about it in advance, I would have couched the gold in a definite ornamental pattern, rather than just a "brick" pattern, alternating the placement of the stitches over each row.

Hand Embroidered Agnus Dei - completed project


The finished product! You can see the original outline of the design still - I did not work the gold all the way to the line, as I thought it would be overkill. Besides, when I mounted it on the vestment today, I still had space for a red outline outside the gold. I'll post a completed picture of the whole vestment once it is assembled.

Hand Embroidered Agnus Dei - side view of completed project


And finally, a long shot from the side, so you can see the gleam of the gold.

Now that it's finished, I can move on to other projects. Whew! That was a challenge, but it was a lot of fun and a good learning experience. I hope you enjoyed the updates on this particular project. Next up - some quilt squares....! Which will be very relaxing! Thanks for reading and for your kind compliments and enthusiasm over the last couple months as I worked this project!

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16 Comments:

Blogger Margaret said...

What a fantastic job you have done. Everyone will glory in the beauty of it. It was wonderful to watch your progress. Thank you.
Margaret

4/04/2007 07:01:00 AM  
Anonymous Sequana said...

I've been watching this from the very first. It's been wonderful to see it appear so beautifully.

I do some of H. Stevens' embroidery too, so that was another interest of mine, to see those threads used.

Congratulations!

4/04/2007 09:49:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Truly beautiful work; such skill!

One question. How did you do the sky? Is the gold couched vertically over a painted sky? Or is there other stitching beneath the gold?

Again, gorgeous.

4/04/2007 06:16:00 PM  
Blogger Mary Corbet said...

Thank you all so much for your kind compliments! Now that it's completed, I find myself a little at loose ends.... I liked having it to do!

The sky is flat silk, in four or five different shades of blue - as I neared each color change, I started blending in one filament of the next color, then two filaments, etc.

You can read about the completion of the sky in update #3 in the list above.

Thanks again, I'm glad you all like it!

4/04/2007 07:57:00 PM  
Blogger JoWynn Johns said...

Simply magnificent! Such a pleasure to follow your progress and see the final result. But how did you do the lamb's body?

JoWynn

4/04/2007 08:39:00 AM  
Blogger Mary Corbet said...

JoWynn-

The lamb's body is first worked with Soie d'Alger in stem stitch. I set in my "shadows" first, getting the stem stitch lines started. Then I set in the rest of the stem stitch in white, trying to follow a "natural" vertical growth pattern for the wool. After the stem stitch, I took a flat silk (soie ovale by au ver a soie, since it has more body than most flat silks) and whipped small sections of the stem stitch. At the most, I'd wrap the flat silk around about 4 times. Occasionally, here and there, I'd work in some small rounded straight stitches.

It was all an "experiment" - I was trying to imitate this example of a lamb's wool from an old piece of ecclesiastical embroidery. I made my bits of wool a little longer, I think, but overall, I like the outcome. The nice thing is that, although flat silk is rather whispy stuff, snagging on just but anything, once it's worked into stitches - or at least, in these stitches - it "tightens up" and becomes secure and rather "hard."

4/05/2007 07:07:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mary,

This is the most beautiful embroidery piece that I have ever seen, it looks like something out of a book. I would like to see more people do this kind of embroidery. It is truly a work of art and shows a great talent.

4/05/2007 07:49:00 PM  
Blogger leahys said...

Mary, congratulations on a beautiful and inspiring work. I sent you lots of good wishes and encouragement as we watched your progress. Thanks for letting us watch. Perhaps I will get inspired to post my own progress reports on my work. Lovely, thank you.

Marilyn

4/05/2007 11:52:00 PM  
Blogger JoWynn Johns said...

Thank you so much for describing the way you achieved the "wool". I remember you inquiring about the piece that inspired you to invent this technique. You did what you speculated might have been a way of producing the wooly effect. With the glimmering silk, it looks splendid. The whole piece is magnificent. Thanks again.

JoWynn

4/06/2007 08:31:00 AM  
Anonymous alicem said...

What a stunning piece of embroidery! Thank you for sharing your progress and for taking time to answer questions.

4/08/2007 12:07:00 PM  
Anonymous shobha said...

Hey what a great piece!!! I must try the sheep out . The shaded effect in the side view is amazing!!!

8/06/2007 01:32:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mary, Wow!! It is among the most georgous embroidery I've ever seen.
Many, many thanks for sharing your techniques. I hope your priest will treasure it!
Lavenia Boswell

7/02/2008 12:15:00 PM  
Anonymous Kathleen said...

Simply breath-taking! You are truly blessed with a wonderful gift! Thank you for sharing.

11/20/2008 02:56:00 PM  
Blogger Mary Corbet said...

Hi, Student08...

I gleaned ideas from several different images of the Agnus Dei, but I drew up the design myself and made my own pattern on vellum (a little thicker than regular tracing paper), so that I would be able to prick it with a needle to transfer the design onto the linen.

You're welcome to do whatever you wish with it!

Enjoy the process!

Best regards,
Mary

12/26/2008 02:11:00 PM  
Blogger Student08 said...

Thank you, Mary, for explicit permission. I see now, (after reviewing your progress) that you are really a teacher who is experienced in giving instructions and illustrations. How perfect for me!

The ecclesiastical embroidery is truly outstanding! Pax Christi,

1/03/2009 12:53:00 PM  
Anonymous Diane Adams said...

Only comment I have is WOW!! This is the most incredible piece I've even seen.

11/30/2009 08:21:00 PM  
Blogger kerrykatiecakeskeb43 said...

Mary - this piece simply takes my breath away!
Hugs,
Kerry

12/04/2009 11:22:00 AM  
Blogger JC-S said...

This is absolutely beautiful. Seeing the photographs of it has made my day. Thank you so much for sharing.

12/04/2009 09:52:00 PM  
Blogger Madilayn said...

This is gorgeous and in the grand tradition of Ecclestiastical embroidery. I myself do historical re-enactment and specialise in researching historical embroidery. I love the way that you've gone for the goldwork background to make the whole thing sheen - and used the different types of gold for the background and the cartouche.

Do you mind if I put a link to this at my own Embroidery site (http://embroidery.bellaonline.com - I am the Embroidery editor there)?

12/05/2009 11:51:00 PM  
Blogger Mary Corbet said...

Hi, All! Thank you so much for your kind comments about this piece. It was both challenging and fun to work, and I can't wait to start my next "big" ecclesiastical project in a couple weeks (once school gets out for Christmas vacation!) My favorite part of this particular piece is the wool on the lamb.

Hi, Madilayn - You are certainly welcome to add a link! I appreciate that!

Again, thanks for the recent onslaught of comments! And thanks to Margie of Country Bumpkin for publishing the piece in her webletter!

Best regards,
Mary

12/06/2009 06:34:00 AM  
Anonymous Gill, Winchester UK said...

As a result of Margie's comment I found time to visit the area of this stunning piece of embroidery and how thrilled I am to see it. I read every update and during your comment on the sky section in Update 3 was taken by the fact that the sky looked darker to the left hand side - the "west" of the area. I could see why you altered it but it was stunning in it's original form. I often do small projects for people (always from kits as I am no designer)and when someone says "but this must have taken hours!" I liken it to putting my talents in the lap of Gods and never mind the cost. To be able to make such beautiful things is a true privilege and your project is so very inspiring, I am going to start my next one immediately and pressing the clothes for work can wait!
Thank you for sharing this project.
Gill, Winchester UK

12/06/2009 10:41:00 AM  

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