"So, what are you going to do with the finished project?" - this is a question I get quite often about a lot of the embroidery projects I work on! Truth is, I don't always DO something with a piece of embroidery. Sometimes, it just goes into a sample binder, so that I can refer to it for demonstrations and so forth. I was thinking the rooster would probably go the same route. I had no plans for him. And by the time I finished working on him, I had learned what I wanted to learn and was (admittedly) a bit weary of the feathered beast. But then.... but then.... nothing feels quite so good as a finished project, when it's really finished. In the deep recesses of my mind, I remembered something I had bought last year, and I decided to serve the rooster up - on a platter! Actually, it's a tray.

Last spring, I participated in a needlework shop hop, and while hopping hither and thither between shops, I acquired a red Sudberry tray. Sudberry makes beautiful wooden boxes, trays, trivets, and other finishing accessories for needlework. You can find quite a slew of them available through Nordic Needle under "Finishing Accessories."



I love this square tray! I love it for its redness and its squareness. (I'm a sucker for red!) I bought it, thinking that someday, I'd make something just perfect to display under the glass. The rooster was by no means my plan.



But for some reason, when considering what to do with the rooster, the tray popped into my mind. When I dug it out, I saw that it's 9.5" square size would probably house the rooster pretty darned well.



And, lo! Methinks it might! This isn't mounted in the tray yet. I need to cut some mounting board to fit, and then lace the rooster onto it. Then I'll fit it together and see what the finished product looks like. If I like it, I suspect I'll keep it in the tray for now! So far, I like it!

What do you think? Good choice? Or .... should I consider a different finish?

Labels: crewel work, finish work, needlework pictures, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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Last week, I mentioned the wonder of making an embroidered box and provided a link to a project featured on the V&A website. This week, I'm revisiting the subject because the whole notion of making an embroidered box has caught my fancy, and I believe it's more than a passing interest. This bodes well - I believe I will actually make one, and if I do, I'll certainly step-by-step the process here on Needle 'n Thread. My interest in making an embroidered box is more fixed, thanks to you readers out there who expressed enthusiasm for the topic, and especially for those of you who recommended some books. I was able to lay my paws on two books that were recommended in the comments section of the previous post, and today, I want to show you one of them - Making Hand-Sewn Boxes, by Jackie Woolsey.

Making Hand-Sewn Boxes is a terrific how-to book! And even though the author is not specifically illustrating how to make an embroidered box, the techniques are exactly what an embroidered-box-maker would use to make a box. I love this book!



The copy of the book that I was able to pick up is an ex-library copy. It's in good shape. The book is apparently not in print anymore, but you can find it online through various booksellers.



The book features all different types of boxes, from the simple rectangular box to more complex boxes with drawers and trays. For each type of box in the book, the author takes us step-by-step through creating the box, from the materials list, through the assembly of the box, using clear diagrams and color photos.



Boxes of different shapes - from square, to round, to octagonal and hexagonal - are all covered. (No pun intended, honestly.)



The whole notion of constructing the actual box is what intimidated me whenever I contemplated an embroidered box. But this book practically eliminates any worries along those lines - the text instructions, the diagrams, and the photos all work together to clarify the process of finishing.



One of my favorite sections to read was the chapter on making a Victorian étui. While this isn't exactly the type of box I have plans to make at first, I love seeing how it is made. Tanja Berlin's blackwork étui was the first box I saw like this, and it fascinated me. And now I've got this wonderful book that shows me exactly how to make my own!

At the end of the book, the author provides a photo gallery of all kinds of hand-sewn boxes. Once the techniques of creating different types of boxes that include different features - from trays to drawers to doors - are understood, all kinds of box possibilities spring to mind! And they all seem accessible, because the author covers pretty much every possibility of box construction in this book.

I reiterate - this is a great how-to book! If you're interested in constructing an embroidered box and you can get your hands on this book, it's a worthwhile investment. If you just want to take a look at it, check your local library! If they don't have it, they should be able to get it for you.

There are a few new and used copies available on Amazon:



Later on, after I recover completely from the Wog and get caught up, I'll show you what I do to books that I want to use as references while working on something from them. That's probably the only drawback of this particular book - it doesn't lie open easily. When I'm working from this type of book, I like to have it open in front of me while I work. In order to achieve that, I demolish the book. Well, not really! I'll show you what I do, once I have the chance to do it!

In the meantime, start dreaming up a box!

Labels: book review, embroidered boxes, finish work

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, January 25, 2010
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After finishing the embroidery on the main part of the pall, I made a small, square, detachable back for it, so that the back can be removed and washed without having to take the whole pall apart for cleaning. The detachable back of the pall is made from linen, and it is hemmed all around with a small hem with mitred corners. Then the center is embroidered with a tiny red cross.

For the embroiderer, it's handy to know how to mitre corners on a hem. Imagine making a long table runner with a drawn thread line running just inside the hem. Wouldn't it be nice to know how to finish the corners on that hem so that they looked professional? What about a fine hanky, where people will see the back of the work? Sloppy corners just wouldn't do, would they?

So, today I'm going to show you how I created a quarter-inch hem on a small piece of linen and mitred the corners. You can take the concept to any proportion hem around a piece with 90-degree corners.



I began with a square of linen one inch larger all around than the finished piece would be. This allows for half an inch extra on each side of the fabric, out of which the hem (two quarter inch turns) will be made.



Using a stiletto that doesn't have a super sharp tip (it's not like the tip of a needle, more like the tip of an ice pick) and a ruler, I marked off my folding lines by "scoring" the fabric. You can use any tool here to make marking lines on the fabric, though you probably wouldn't want to use scissors or anything that would cut the fabric.

I scored the fabric in two quarter-inch increments on all four sides of the square. Scoring is simply running that tool firmly over the fabric, along the edge of the ruler. It marks the path of the of your folding lines with a slight dent in the fabric, making folding along the measured line much easier.



After scoring two lines in quarter inch increments (from the edge of the fabric) all around on all four sides, I finger pressed the hem in.

First, I folded the fabric from the edge inward on all four sides at the first quarter inch line. Then, I folded these folds (on all four sides) one more time on the second quarter inch line.

I firmly pressed each fold as I made it, using my fingers (not an iron).



Unfolding the folds, this is what the fabric looks like. You can see two distinct quarter-inch lines where the fabric was folded and finger pressed.



Notice the intersections of the lines.



See how the green dotted line passes through the diagonal on the second square in from the corner?



Using the diagonal on that square, form a cutting line by laying your ruler across the square diagonally.



Cut the corner off. A rotary cutter is helpful here, but really, you can just eyeball the cutting line along the diagonal and use scissors just as effectively!



After cutting the four corners off, finger press the diagonal cut an eighth of an inch in. The fold will actually be as deep as the lower tip of the remains of the second square in from the corner (the top of which you just cut off). Finger press this small fold right across the corner...



...and then, using your previous fold lines as a guide, fold your first quarter-inch fold all along the outside hem and finger press it is firmly again...



... and then make your second quarter inch fold all around the hem, finger pressing the turned edge in, and aligning the corners so that they fit up as in the photo above.



Then, pin everything. Since my square is relatively small here (the finished size is 6.25 inches), I didn't use many pins. Pin through the mitred corners to hold them in place, and then pin down the edge of the hem.



You can then do whatever kind of stitching along the hem that you want to do. I just used a regular small whip stitched hem. When you get to the corners, you want to stitch them neatly, either using a blind stitch or even a regular whip stitch.



I stitched inside the fabric in a blind stitch fashion, and then I pulled the thread tightly, to form a slight ridge where the corners meet up. This is actually a mistake - the corner should be smooth and flat - but once I did it on one, I went ahead and did it on all four, so that they match. (That way it doesn't look so much like a mistake!) There shouldn't really be that rounded bulge at the edge of the corner. One of the reasons for this (besides butting up the corners too tightly there) is that the small quarter inch hem is rather thick, in a small space, so it's kind of tight in there when you're stitching. Still, I could have avoided that with looser stitching on the corner, so keep that in mind as you stitch up your mitred corners.

And that is how you mitre corners by hand on the edge of a squared hem!

Hope you find the technique handy!

Labels: finish work, needlework pictures, needlework tutorials, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, June 18, 2009
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The miniature embroidery piece that I framed last weekend went together pretty well, so I thought I'd show you how I framed it, step-by-step. It was really simple, and very quick! Of course, I'm no professional framer or "finisher" - I've always thought it would be a worth-while thing to take a class in finish work. Either that, or to find someone who wanted to enlist as my "personal finisher." Ha ha. Anyway.... here's how I framed it.

The first step was finding something to mount the embroidery on. Ideally, a piece of archival mat board works great. And, as a matter of fact, I did have a little scrap of mat board left over from another project. I knew I wouldn't need much for this one, so it worked out really well.



Measuring the opening of the frame on the back, I subtracted one-eighth inch from the measurement to give me room for the fabric around the mat board. I cut the mat board to fit the opening perfectly, minus 1/8th of an inch. A regular utility knife or craft knife or X-acto knife works well for cutting mat board, and I just use my sewing / cutting mat for cutting mat board, too. The self-healing mats are great - not only do they serve as my base for cutting with a knife, but they serve as my ruler in practically everything!



To make sure the piece of board and the fabric would fit the opening in the back of the frame, I lined up the design on the little board and pushed it into the frame. It fit fine.



I finger-pressed the edges of the fabric around the mat board so I would know where to line it up as I worked. First, make sure your embroidery is exactly where you want it to be. Then, fold each edge of the fabric over the mat board, and run your finger along the edge, to make a crease in the fabric, marking the spot where you want the mat board to fit.

After doing that, I cut the excess fabric off the corners, straight across.



Then I folded two opposite sides over the mat board, making sure my embroidery was centered where I wanted it. With a double-threaded sharp sewing needle, I "laced" back and forth between the edges of the two sides of fabric, keeping the stitches fairly close together and pulling tightly so that the fabric was taut.

Then I folded over the two remaining opposite sides and repeated the lacing on those sides.



I didn't really like the way the corners turned out - they're so unfinished looking. I briefly thought of tucking in that little edge and re-sewing the whole thing with mitered corners, but then I remembered that no one would see it! There's a good quarter inch all around the embroidery that is hidden by the front lip of the frame. Besides, the tweaker you see there in the photo tucked to the back of the mat board just fine. So I left it.



Next, I fitted the embroidered piece into the frame, and when I was certain that all was lining up correctly, I started working on finishing the back. I should have filled the whole space in the back, but instead, I used a smaller square of mat board right behind the embroidered piece, and then one more square of mat board cut precisely to the size of the opening, so that it fit very snuggly into the frame opening on the back.



You can see there's still a good amount of space there. It would have probably been wise to go ahead and fill that with little mat board squares until the last piece was flush with the back of the frame. Probably, nothing will happen to it - but I still have visions of someone picking up the frame and giving the embroidery a good poke, which would dislodge it.



After fitting in the two pieces of mat board, I selected a pinkish piece of card-stock that matched the pink in the embroidery. It's an "ok" match, anyway - not perfect, but it's all I had on hand.

I cut a square of paper to the size of the back of the frame.



A tiny bit of glue fixed the decorative paper to the back of the frame to give it a finished look.



I suppose you can tell I went about this rather haphazardly, but the finished result is ok, I think. It's nice to have it done, anyway. I think I'd like to find a teeny tiny easel to put the frame on for display. At this point, it's just leaning against the base of a statue on the table in my entrance way. Kind of lost and small and dwarfed. But... I like it!

Now, it's time to move on to other things! I've been experimenting with something drawn-threadish, and I'm hoping to be able to show that to you tomorrow, depending on whether or not I get close-to-finished today! I'm also in the middle of trying to draw a design for an ecclesiastical project I'm supposed to be working on already. I can't quite get the drawing where I want it! Oh, where is my Muse??? And, then, once I get that going for real, I've got a couple other needlework-related ideas brewing (or at least half-way brewing - they haven't come to a complete boil yet!). Now, for the invention of the 36-hour day....

Labels: finish work, miniature embroidery, needlework pictures, needlework tutorials, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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A few months ago, I finished this little piece of miniature embroidery, and until this weekend, it's just been sitting around, waiting...

Earlier this month, when I went needlework shop hopping, one of the most exciting findings for me was a little square frame which I thought would be the "perfect size" for this miniature piece. It was $10, and, admittedly, I sort of cringed at paying $10 for a frame that was just barely two inches square...!

But... have you ever noticed that smaller things are sometimes pretty expensive?

And if you figure that miniature needlework can take just as much time - if not more - than regular-sized needlework, I think you'll discover a kind of value ratio there, somewhere.

Anyway, this past weekend, I did manage to put the miniature piece in the frame, and I had that little surge of satisfaction, knowing that I was actually right, that the frame was the perfect size.



The horizontal line running through the middle of the piece corresponds to a blank line in the middle of the flower and a slub in the fabric, just in case you're wondering.

After stitching on 28-count linen lately, I look at this piece (approximately 40 threads per inch - the whole piece is just about 1.5 inches square) and can't figure out how I saw those stitches without any kind of magnification...! Don't tell me my eyes are getting old, in just a few months' time!

I took this photo before finishing the back, and I've since slightly adjusted that lower right hand corner.

In a bit, I'll show you step-by-step how a framed the piece and finished the back of the frame. But for now, suffice it to say, I'm glad I've finally "finished" something! It always seems that anything I embroider these days gets put on hold and it never sees the finish line. I really need to stop doing that!

Happy Memorial Day!

Labels: finish work, miniature embroidery, needlework pictures, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, May 25, 2009
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You know I like goldwork and silk shading - they're possibly my favorite embroidery techniques - but ... wow... this piece makes everything I've done with goldwork look rather dull. It's like the sparkling city cousin that the country mouse can't hold a candle to! This bright splash of color and gold was an exercise in creative goldwork from a Royal School of Needlework course that Margaret took back in 2007.

The project is worked on a background of silk dupoini woven in purple and red. Predominantly, the purple shows up, but you can see the reddish highlights in the photo. It's a gorgeous fabric!



I think the whole piece is beautiful, but the part of the piece that intrigues me the most is the bold leaf on the lower left, which is made out of gold kid leather. Rather than try to explain it myself, here's Margaret's description of the technique:

What was interesting was that we had a basic outline for the leaf and a piece of leather that was larger than the outline (at least at the top). Starting at the bottom we tacked down the leather to hold it in place. Then at the top we manipulated the oversized piece to fit within the design lines. This let us create the veins. So, everyone's leaf was different, of course.

I love the leaf, with it's bulging gold veins - and my hat's off to anyone who would stitch it and not scream before it was over! Yeeeeesh. I don't particluarly like stitching kid leather, but I'd like it even less if I had to manipulate it and squeeze it into an area! I think it turned out so pretty, though, that it's sort of tempting to want to try something similar.

Here's the finished project, framed up:



Isn't it gorgeous?

Thanks, Margaret, for sending the photos! Margaret, by the way, is the one who designed the Golden Pomegranate project I stitched last fall.

When Margaret sent me these photos, I came to the realization of something that I find rather funny, and I'd love to hear what others have to say about the same subject! It went like this: Margaret sent me photos of her frame jobs on three gorgeous pieces of embroidery: the Golden Pomegranate (hers is matted in greens, with a gold frame), her goldwork rose, and this goldwork project featured here. When I saw the three framed, I thought, "WOW - wouldn't those make a gorgeous set to hang together on a wall??!" And that's when I realized something...

And this is what I realized: in my house, I have one tiny bird I embroidered that's framed and hung. Other than that, I don't have one finished thing that I've embroidered. Everything else I've done has been given away, or was made at the request of someone else.

Ok, wait - with the exception of my silly pillowcases and my goofy felt needlebook thingy. And, no, I don't use the pillow cases myself.

My question is this: do you retain your work, or give it away? Are you fortunate enough to have nice embroidered things around your house? I just realized how nice that would be.

But how does one remedy that? I can't exactly go snatching up the things I've given away. And I wouldn't, anyway. Deep down, I wouldn't want to. (Or wait - maybe deep down, I do want to....!)

I was thinking that a resolution of some sort could help solve this: each year, I could make at least one nice project for the house. It doesn't have to be a big project or a major deal - just one nice something to be finished and framed.

Well, now that I'm thinking along those lines, I suddenly want to make another pomegranate or grab a silk shading project and ditch the whitework sampler!

Yeah. Thanks a lot, Margaret! ;-)

Labels: finish work, goldwork, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, January 25, 2009
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Now that Inspirations Magazine issue 61 is officially out, I wanted to share with you the finish on this goldwork and silk embroidery project that I showed you last October.

Before the photos, the background information: this project was designed by Margaret Cobleigh, who used it as a guild project to teach some silk shading and goldwork embroidery techniques. After preparing the kits for her guild, she had a couple left over, and I am ever-so-grateful that I had the opportunity to procure one!

Margaret also submitted the project to Inspirations Magazine. It's being published in issue #61, which is just out now. You can see a preview of Inspirations 61 on the Country Bumpkin website right now, and you can also see that the kit for The Golden Pomegranate is available for sale. (US readers, if you look at the kit, make sure to change the currency options to US dollars - it makes quite a bit of difference!) If you don't subscribe you Inspirations magazine, you can buy an individual copy of this issue if you want (through Country Bumpkin, and probably through some US suppliers, like Wooly Thread, for instance). If you already subscribe to Inspirations, then you know that you'll receive the complete instructions, photos, and the pattern within the magazine. If you decide to buy the kit and you don't have this issue of the magazine, you'll also need to buy the issue in order to have the instructions.

So that's how that works.

I was first attracted to the pomegranate design when Margaret sent me a photo to show me what she had designed, with the understanding that I couldn't publish the photo, as she was submitting the project to Country Bumpkin. Well, I was besotted! I love everything about this design - I love the colors (the reds are fantastic, and the greens are perfect), I love the goldwork, I love the way the goldwork is arranged and the variety of goldwork techniques, I love (LOVE) the trellis center on the pomegranate, with the beads and spangles... well. Like I said, when I first saw the photo of the project, I was besotted.

Another point that I liked about it - it's not a huge project. It's small (about 6" x 6", I think), so it's manageable in a reasonable amount of time. Margaret's instructions are crystal clear and perfect for someone who wants to try goldwork for the first time. The project is interesting and varied enough for seasoned goldworkers, too.

Anyway, I was happy to get one of Margaret's "leftover" kits... and I started to work on the pomegranate pretty quickly. All told, it didn't take 3 weeks (maximum) to complete it. Keep in mind, that's stitching in the evenings and a bit on weekends - I have a full time job and a life, so I wasn't stitching day in and day out! It was a nice, pleasurable, non-pressured stitching situation.

I had decided before I embarked on the project that I would make it as a gift for my niece, who was married in the middle of November. The pomegranate has been a symbol for ages upon ages of new life - so I thought it an appropriate gift.



I like angle shots - this isn't perhaps the best angle shot, but one of my favorite elements of the design is the pomegranate "crown" filled with chip work.



Here's the pomegranate itself. I love the fact that the stitching is shaded with the understanding of a light source from the top left. Notice how the pomegranate, on the top left, is lighter, and on the bottom right side, the top edge is also lighter? The top left leaf is couched in a lighter green as well. Nice, isn't it?



The trellis interior is really my favorite part. I love the pomegranate seeds (beads), and I'm a sucker for trellis couching. I think it's a beautiful interpretation.



The only part that I had real difficulty with was the vein on the leaves. I didn't remember until after I couched the pearl purl on that it was supposed to be wavy. So I pinched it into a little wave, but it doesn't look nearly as nice as the leaves on the prototype in the magazine!



Finally, here's the frame job. I had it framed in a custom frame, with all archival materials... the frame is slightly over 11 inches square. It's black with a gold crackle (in tiny veins) working through it, but that doesn't show up so well in the photo. It's triple matted, in green, then gold, then a velvet red mat. The triple matting holds the glass well away from the raised gold and the beads.

I was so happy with the way the project turned out that I was loathe to part with it! Apparently the bride loved it, though, so I'm glad did!

And thus ends the story of The Golden Pomegranate.

Labels: finish work, goldwork, Inspirations Magazine, needlework pictures, pictures, silk

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, January 23, 2009
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Here's my run-down on the finishwork on my goldwork and silk Christmas ornament that I made for a swap...

First, I gathered all the supplies I'd need to finish the Christmas ornament: threads, batting (which I didn't use after all), fabric, scissors, etc.



I wasn't quite sure about which fabric to use for the back. I had some cranberry colored silk shantung, some burgandy velvet, and a dusty pink striped fabric. The ornament actually has quite a bit of pink in it!



Next, I took the ornament off the frame and cut off the excess linen.



Next, I measured and cut out two pieces of acid-free mat board. I planned to cover one with the fabric for the back of the ornament, and the other I would mount the front on. Stay tuned, though - I changed my approach on this much later!



Then I cut out the corners on the linen, so that I could fold the linen more easily onto the mat board. I wasn't exactly sure about this whole part, which kind of bugged me.



I didn't want bulk corners, so I trimmed out little triangles, thinking that would help reduce the bulk. Well, of course it didn't work - there was an overhang - so I cut squares out of the corners instead.

I folded the edges under, using a strip adhesive sold for scrapbooking (archival and permanent) to hold the fabric securely to the mat board. To do this part, I put the ornament face-down, and placed the mat board over the back of it. I put the adhesive on all four sides of the back of the mat board, then pulled one side of the ornament up and smoothed it onto the sticky strip on the back of the mat board. Then I did the opposite side, making sure to pull the ornament enough to give good tension, but not too much. Then I did the remaining two sides opposite each other.



It "worked" ... but I wasn't quite happy with it. The point was just to adhere the fabric so that it would remain in place while I stitched the front and back together. But I didn't like the thickness of the top piece, and I really didn't like the fact that the white linen was slightly visible on some sides. I tried to console myself with the fact that the edge would be covered with cording. But it was a lame attempt at consolation. I had to backtrack later. So stick with me, here...



At that point, the front was mounted, though not quite to my satisfaction, and it was time to move on to the back. I debated over fabrics and finally decided on a burgandy-ish scrap of something sort of resembling velvet but feeling more like a stretchy velveteen. Whatever. It worked - the color was right, and though it doesn't have the shine of silk, I think it was more important that the color was right!

Now it was time to go through the same process of mounting the backing fabric.



I cut out the square to the right size, placed the other piece of mat board on it, and glued the edges as I had done for the top of the ornament. I liked the thick back with the mat board much better.



When I put the two pieces together, I was still concerned about the thickness of the top. I just didn't like it. But I forged on! I should've taken a break at that point and thought about it!

My next step was to consider what to use for cording and trim. This, of course, is where the thickness of the piece started to bother me even more. I would have liked to just put a cord around it and cover up the place where the front and back were joined, but golly, that would have to be a huge cord!



I went through my stash to pick out possible threads for cords. I was sure I would have all manner of types of thread and colors suitable for this project. Not so, not so. This is what comes of working from stash. You have to take what you can get! I had a silk chenille (on the right) that looked about right; a soie gobelin that looked about right, and two colors of soie d'alger that are in the ornament.



I tried making individual cords from all of them. I even tried making one big fat cord from several combined, with a gold colored Trebizond thrown in for the fun of it.



But none of it really worked, and I settled, instead, for a plain soie d'alger that I used to couch some of the gold passing on the ornament front.



Then I turned my thoughts to tassel making. For a small tassel, the soie gobelin was really the only suitable thread. The chenille was too thick, and the soie d'alger would end up really fuzzy. The resulting tassel, by the way, stunk, so I improvised something else, which you will see later.

Next, I sewed the front and back of the ornament together, using a regular slip stitch, since I'd be covering that up with a cord, anyway. I didn't like the thickness, especially of the front. I didn't like the fact that so much of the white linen was showing, especially because I knew the cord probably wouldn't cover that up all the way around. Aaaargh! SO...



At this point, I took the ornament apart, took the front off, took the mat board out, and mounted the ornament on a smaller cut piece of white (archival) card stock. The resulting edge of white was still there, but much thinner. That was much better. I sewed it up, then started with the cording.



You can see my silly tassel hanging off here just to the right. I didn't take a full picture of it - I should have, then you would understand better. For one thing, it was just too "pinky-orange" - just a shade off from the colors in the ornament. For another thing, it was having a terribly bad hair day. Soie gobelin is probably not the best thread choice for making a small tassel - it might work better on a larger tassel, where length would give some weight to the threads. On a small tassel, the thread ends flipped all over the place and looked messy and awful. Couple that with the slightly off color, and... well. It just didn't work. I got rid of it.



Here's the cording, after the first round of slip stitching just to get it attached. I used a little piece of gold Trebizond at the top for the hanger, which I ran through between the front and ornament backing, and secured in place as I stitched the cording on.

Next, I addressed myself to the problem of the tassel. I didn't want to leave the soie d'alger twist hanging there - though I probably could have knotted it and left it. It didn't look bad. But I wanted more than that! I actually wanted a Big, Fat, Pretty Tassel!!! (Note to self: plan ahead!!)



Instead, I opted for a tiny tail of little gold beads.

Once I had the beads on, I finished off the threads from the cord by running them individually into the cording (up the sides) and then, I gave the cording one more round of slip stitching to secure it and pull it a little bit more over the white.



My tree's not up yet, so no tree shot!



I suppose that, despite the strange tail of gold beads, she'll do ok! I would have liked a heavier tassel for the finish. This picture above was taken from a weird angle, but the ornament actually does hang ok. I though the tassel would be essential for balance, but I could've left off a tail altogether. The beads look a little... well... I don't know. They look kind of dorky. They have a nice gleamy sparkle to them that goes with the goldwork, but perhaps I should've left them off?

Overall, though, I was pleased with the final result, though I do think I'm going to have to make a concerted effort this coming year to polish up my finishing skills!

I hope the recipient likes it!

If you haven't signed up for this month's stash give-away, you might want to take a look at it. I've giving away two spools of Gilt Sylke Twist, along with a few other little goodies (not pictured!). The deadline for that is next Wednesday morning, December 10th. If you want to enter, please read the original post!

Labels: Christmas, finish work, goldwork, needlework pictures, pictures, silk

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, December 07, 2008
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