Time is ticking – my current embroidery project must be finished this coming Monday, April 2nd. I thought I’d post an update on it. Right now, I have just a few more steps to go.
I began this embroidery project about seven and a half weeks ago, working on it mostly at night outside of work hours, and on weekends. I’ve made a few mistakes along the way, especially in ordering supplies (which is a big mistake, considering just about everything had to be mail-ordered).
If you want to see the progress of the project, you can check out these phases:
- Beginning of the project: the project is mounted and the design transferred, with a little bit of the grass in.
- Second Update: the book is finished and the sky is going in. I took the sky out and opted for a different approach.
- Third Update: The flat silk is laid in for the sky. I had to correct some parts of it. The halo is also begun.
- Fourth Update: half the sky is couched with #4 gold passing (2% gold).
When you seen how far I still have to go, you might think I’ll never make it. I’m pretty determined to make it, so we shall see! I still have to complete the whole lamb, then add the tufts of grass and some little flowers on the “hill,” and then couch the gold around the edge.
![Agnus Dei ecclesiastical embroidery project](https://www.needlenthread.com/Images/Projects/SM_Agnus_Dei_07/Agnus_Dei_22.jpg)
So here you can see the whole effect of the work so far. I have a little “tweaking” to do on the halo, but overall, I like the effect. Had I known originally that I would do gold between the red parts of the halo, I would have stitched them in a different order. I originally planned on doing white in there, but when I started, it didn’t look so good – so I tore it out and went with gold.
![Close up on halo, gold couched with red silk](https://www.needlenthread.com/Images/Projects/SM_Agnus_Dei_07/Agnus_Dei_23.jpg)
You can see the halo a little better here. I’m disappointed, personally, in my red couching stitches, especially on the lower left portion of the halo. Live and learn. On that section, too, I made the mistake of plunging the ends as I worked – tsk tsk. It makes a difference in the finished look. The other sections, where I plunged the ends after couching, look flatter.
![Close up on gold couching in halo and sky](https://www.needlenthread.com/Images/Projects/SM_Agnus_Dei_07/Agnus_Dei_24.jpg)
And here’s a better shot – you can see the sky and the halo pretty well. I surrounded the outer rim of the halo with the same dark red silk found on the edge inside the halo.
![goldwork couched with silk - difficult area](https://www.needlenthread.com/Images/Projects/SM_Agnus_Dei_07/Agnus_Dei_25.jpg)
This little area in here was perhaps the most difficult to work. This is the only place on the whole thing so far where I’m glad I did the sky first. I’m sure the sky should have been done first, but there are a few areas where I would have made little corrections in the design if the sky were not already in.
![Agnus Dei banner worked in silk in stem stitch](https://www.needlenthread.com/Images/Projects/SM_Agnus_Dei_07/Agnus_Dei_26.jpg)
Here’s a close up on the top of the banner, near the staff. The banner is worked in a combination of colors: overall, it is white with a red cross. To shade the white around the turns, I used cream and ‘brute’ – a kind of champagne color.
![Agnus Dei banner worked in silk in stem stitch](https://www.needlenthread.com/Images/Projects/SM_Agnus_Dei_07/Agnus_Dei_27.jpg)
And here’s one of the tips of the banner, shaded in the same colors as the top part of it. I outlined the banner in a brown, to supply a contrast. I want the banner, halo, and lamb to stand out from the sky.
And so there you have it so far! I have six days left to finish it, the majority of which are spent at work teaching and such, so wish me luck!
Your up-close photographs are amazing and I love your work. I’d like to buy a dvd of your stitch library, do you have that available?
I am simply in awe of your work!! Where did you learn to stitch like this? I have no doubt you will finish the project. I’m just wondering…is this a paid (commissioned) piece or something you are donating? I have to believe that to purchase something like this would be extremely expensive.
Hi, Crystal – nope, I don’t have a dvd edition of the videos yet – but I will have one this summer, when I have time to format them and make labels. I plan for them to be very affordable, so that all kinds of beginners can access them. Right now, it’s a matter of a new computer and … TIME!
Thanks heaps for the compliments. It’s very encouraging!
Crazy, thank you. It’s not a paid commission. It’s a commission, insofar as I was asked to do it, but since it’s for the church I go to, I’m not charging for it! Our embroidery guild will eventually be producing works like this – well, once we get a little more education!
I reckon it would cost a lot to have something like this made, but I figure it’s worth it. The supplies on this were a bit steep, as I didn’t have them in stock, but if I were to produce another similar piece, the cost would be minimal, with the exception of the gold threads, since I have leftovers.
Thanks again! I’ll post the finished product, hopefully early next week.
Mary,
That is incrediable! It is awesome, I have never seen anything like it before. You are a true artist! I can’t wait to see the finished product. How kind of you to donate that to your Church. I hope your guild gets their education soon so you can all do something like that.
i am litterally blown away by your work found you by accident and im loving going through your website its been saved as a book mark now thank you, diolch!