Glittering Nightcap – Close ups on the Crown
Pansy
Before I move on to work on the brim, here are close ups of two of the panels of the Nightcap. You will see, when you zoom in, the French Knots at the centre of the rose, contrasted with the Spiders Web stitch at the centre of the pansy.
You can also see that the spangles aren’t evenly spaced – there are some areas more densely spangled than others. I do think I have achieved a reasonably random placement, but humans are pattern-making animals, and it is really extraordinarily difficult to combine relatively even spacings with random placement! However, I am absolutely sure that attempting an even regular spacing would have had me stark mad if I had tried it!
Rose
In ordinary light, the spangles don’t really shine as I am sure they would in the flickering light of a candle. When I have the piece finished and on display somewhere, I will probably have to spend a lot of time getting the lighting right – without using real candles…
Once I had taken the photographs, I tacked a calico cover over the completed crown of the nightcap, back and front, and turned the fabric over in the frame in order to start on the brim. Covering the finished work will stop me catching my threads on it, or knocking spangles off as I work.
I hope…
Good idea to mask the crown before turning it over. You’re really making headway with this project now, and it looks beautiful.
That is brilliant, Rachael, protecting all that gorgeous work as you proceed. Must remember that.
It’s lovely, Rachel. The spangles look nicely balanced to me. Having just coped with acres of seeding stitches, I know all about trying to make things ‘evenly random’ while avoiding obvious patterns and rows. Not easy, is it? But it looks so effortless when it works.
Nice work!
It looks beautiful Rachel and I know from my own work about randomly placing dots onto a piece of clay, so that they look even – therein lies madness! I’m sure you will do a fabulous job on the old stool cover – how lovely to give something from childhood days a fresh look. xCathy
Your stitching is fabulous, and I like the spangles. Perhaps you can get an electric “candle” to flicker? Have you been watching The Borgias …… I watch it as much for the beautiful costumes, as for the murder, mayhem and intrigue!
As always you do very fine and dainty stitches.
Lovely, lovely, lovely. You’re so wise to cover your work – something I would probably not have thought of and then rued the day!
Beautiful! You have done a great job with the placement of the spangles. I like the french knots in the centre of the rose. Were they difficult to do in the gold thread?
That is just beautiful. I have a friend who made one similar and I know the amount of work in it. Heirloom material.
That looks fantastic – it’s so hard to space ‘randomly’ but you’ve done a brilliant job. And you’ve comforted me about the spacing of the spangles on my scissor case. :o)
I love that you have covered this whilst you continue to work on it…protecting it. A very good idea indeed!
Like Tricia said–you can never have enough spangles!
Looks gorgeous. Are you going to put this and the glove in a display case?
Beautiful! To cover the finished area is a good thought and am sure it’ll work.Thorn stitch in smooth purl looks good!