I found a little time to put in an Olive branch .
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I am so busy in the vegetable garden at the moment , I have had hardly any time for my embroidery . Here's a very quick update . π️
I'm still working on it . I've started the "tongues of fire " that descended upon the Apostle's heads enabling them to understand and speak in different languages to take the word of God out into the world and the birth of the Christian church . I need to throw in some fiery orange and gold .
A white dove in the Christian church symbolises the Holy Spirit .....it is of course globally known as a symbol of peace , purity and hope . I am going to combine the two and give him an Olive branch . πΏ
I'm still using silk thread but have changed over to DeVere Yarns .
I'm just grabbing a few minutes here and there to do a little more and I'm making it up as I go . Drawing my design with a very fine chalk pencil , you might have seen it in an earlier post . Works well for me on this dark linen . It's very faint and brushes away easily .
All fer now ! π€πͺ·π️ Love Debbie x
I'm using lovely silk thread from The Silk Mill π€ Hands sore and chapped from gardening πΏπ±ππSilk threads catching on chapped hands sets my teeth on edge ! Need to moisturise . Probably would have been easier to stitch with DMC cotton threads .
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Needlework had been put on hold for the time being .
I'm still here though ! Been busy sowing seeds and getting the vegetable garden up and running .
I'm growing lots of salad leaves to pick in the shed ....safe from snails π
As well as all the garden duties , we've had several trips to the dentist to contend with and whenever I have had some time to sit down and relax ....it's been too noisy again .
Anyway , here are a few pics of my progress π️
So we've had a nice little holibobs in both Somerset and Dorset, mainly to go dinosaur hunting in Charmouth which is in Dorset .
We stayed in a sweet little 18th century period cottage in Somerset ; which meant a very long drive to the beach , but husband decided it was reasonably priced and that it would be very well worth it .
We visited Montecute House , Bridport , Lyme Regis , Glastonbury , Burton Bradstock and Groves Nursery and of course Charmouth beach .
Because of the rainy weather and the country roads being unfamiliar to us , we always tried to get back to the cottage well before dark .
Then we would have our teatime in front of the woodburning stove , with cups of tea , sandwiches and cake .
Then I would leave him in the lounge watching his American football π
I found some more of the pale blue wool ! Hooray !
I wasn't sure if it was 886 π or 988 π but I was very happy to have found a good hank of the perfect match .
Appletons do small skeins and large hanks , which is useful if you're doing a larger project .
For something more important I would normally get enough from the same dye lot ....but for this little project , I think it looks good enough .
I gathered up a few bundles of wool to complete the background , halo and her face .
I don't want to keep fiddling about too much incase I spoil it ; but I'm not quite happy with it yet .
She needs a cute little nose !
And while I am stitching away , I am thinking that I need to change her face , just a little .
That's better ! π
Next to embroider her halo and go find some more of that pale blue wool for the background .
πΉ So today I am trying to remember how to do Bullion Stitch ! πΉ
I can do it , but it is a little bit more fiddly when you do it with crewel wool .
It is far easier with cotton or silk threads and also using a bullion knot or milliner's needle helps .
I am using a chenille needle which has a large eye through which to thread crewel wool .
With patience , concentration and a little more care .....
The fiddley bit is where you gently pinch those loops and slide them down and off the needle and down into the hole you first came up through .
But this is no way meant to be a tutorial . It is best to have someone sit beside you and show you .
And then practice makes perfect ...or in my case a few tangles first !
The technique soon came back to me .
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