More progress on The Head of Nefertiti
The polychrome band is finished
Once I had finished the polychrome bands, I sat back and looked at them. Using the darker shades of the colours in the darker part of the print helps to tie it all together and wrap the bands around the headdress.
I had a moment or two of concern, then decided that I would not, after all, ruin everything if I continued to add the other elements of the design that I had planned. There is always a moment or two of fear, especially when an early section has gone well!
Trialling Leather
The original bust shows something that looks like a browband of gold, fairly plain and flat. I fished out a piece of gold kid, but although the photograph doesn’t show it very well, the kid is the wrong colour (too pale, and not yellow enough) for the gold thread, so I have to think of something else.
*Thinks hard*.
Necklace Trial
Meanwhile, I thought I would experiment with the necklace, or collar. My thought was that, rather than do the whole thing, I would do a small section of it, to make sure that I maintain the feeling of an embroidery, and not a portrait of a portrait.
What I have done here is to make radiating stitches of the gold thread, and then use the same whipped filling stitch I used on the polychrome bands, but alternating them so there is a hint of a gold net underlying the collar.
I like this, but maybe I do need to do an entire collar’s worth.
*Thinks hard*. Again.
I love the necklace. About the gold band – do you remember “thou”. you made a beautiful job of her headscarf. would that work do you think?
It just gets better and better! I love the bands and the necklace. Beautiful work!
The bands are perfect now. I like the partial necklace – it’s all that is needed to balance the bands. For the brow band, I am thinking of silk and ‘gold’ tissue – maybe something like https://www.thesilkroute.co.uk/section.php/479/1/bst_14_turquoise_gold_silk_tissue
would work, applied over that area?
I do enjoy reading how you work through your options!
This is coming along so nicely! I love the way the bands have eventuated on the headdress. The colours work so nicely together.
I think that I would do the whole collar. It is a striking addition.
I think that I like the suggestion of the necklace but difficult to tell without seeing it on the whole thing. The head dress looks great. xx
Beautiful! i love the suggestion of a collar. You really show the richness of colours and fabrics in those days!
utterly stunning Rachel, such exquisite stitching. You have done her proud!
The bands look spot on and I love the delicacy of the necklace.
Ooo – so pretty!
Love reading and seeing your delicate work in progress.
Those decisions are sometime so hard to make! I love reading about your thought processes when working on this and other pieces you share. It’s validating to know that others go through some of the same things I do when I’m creating something.
Thanks for linking up to last week’s Stitchery Link Party. Aloha hugs!
Oh, I like that! It definitely looks like a very rich neck piece.