Final Details on Loading The Felucca – for now!
Comparing Hats
Woolly Hat
Both of the labourers on the right have a small piece of dark brown cotton attached to their heads to give the impression of hair.
Two of the hats (the ones on the right) are turban-like things with a central section and a twist of fabric, and you’ve seen them before. They were really very successful, but the other two labourers seem to be wearing knitted or crocheted caps. Somehow trellis stitch didn’t seem quite right, so in this case I’ve used detached buttonhole stitch with return, in navy blue pearl cotton.
The final hat is much woollier. I used a heathered worsted yarn and trellis stitch. I have a few doubts about this one, but for now I’m content with it.
Foot Dangling Over Sand
I was concerned that the dark cotton and the light background cotton were too distinct, and made too much of a contrast. My first efforts to break up the surfaces were not as successful as they might have been, but in due course I arrived at the solution – rows of scroll stitch using a single strand of thread, in tones that lie between the two extremes.
I’ve left the little foot unattached, dangling over the sandy surface and seeming to poke out of the trouser leg just as it should.
Finished I Think
And behold the (nearly) final version.
I think there is just enough of the scroll stitch, and the packing case has almost the right level of detail to make sense, but not so much as to attract more attention than it should. The people have worked, if anything, even better than I hoped they would.
I’m going to wait until I know where in the Dreams of Amarna the piece is going to live – either as a patch on one of the main panels, or as a stand-alone, separate panel – before I do any more. At the moment, I don’t know what more to do, or how to do it, and until I do know, I’m not risking the success I’ve already had.
Wow – I love all the details!
Great hats. I can imagine these little people coming alive when you’re not looking, setting their box down, and putting their feet up.
Such detail! You should be very proud of this. Every bit of it works really well.
The right brown one looks so vivid.
Ab-so-lute-ly STUNNING! Whatever you decide to do with it eventually, I think it deserves a “centre stage” spot. Those guys are SO real; very well done!
Oh, its wonderful. You’ve captured the movement, the sense of history, everything! I encourage all your readers to click on the picture to see it at full size – it practically popped out at me with its realistic representation.
This is just amazing!! I have just shown it to Malcolm and he is very impressed too!!
I love it. The entire panel looks so realistic and you’ve worked really hard to get all the little details as perfect as possible,well done!
it really is very successful! I couldn’t envision this when you began, you’ve obviously got a better imagination than me to have brought this to life.
I’m absorbing these details and admiring your investment in this piece…..just wow…..
Stunning, just stunning!! You should be rightfully pleased with these little people. You have caught the movement and texture of the whole thing, and they really look as though they might come to life!! If that’s how they look in a photo on a screen, they must be fabulous in the ‘flesh’ (as it were)!! xCathy
I still find this a little amazing! Transferring the image to cloth and achieving such wonderful results…!
Oh Wow!! I have loved watching this piece as you’ve progressed through each added detail.
I also loved seeing your experiment with embroidering the thick felt so that no stitching shows on the back. Thanks so much for linking that project up to last week’s Stitchery Link Party!