Grape Hyacinths, 1
Now this is definitely a UFO (UnFinished Object).
It would help, of course, if I could remember why I was doing it – other than that I’ve always loved grape hyacinths!
Clearly the leaf needs to be finished, but looking at it again, I’ve decided that I don’t like the way that I originally worked the flower heads, and I need to unpick them and start again.
I don’t know how I’m going to do them, or what I’ll do with it when I’m finished, but at least I have a starting point.
So here we are – the leaf is completed, with some added darker stitching to help throw the smaller leaf forward a little. The stitching is a mixture of chain and reverse chain, stem stitch and outline stitch, and I’m quite pleased with how it conveys the texture of the leaf.
Then, out with the scissors and much snipping and pulling out.
I’m still not sure how to do the flowers.
However, I’ve been keeping on with the Amarna Family, and the video – number twenty three, would you believe! – is now live. It contains musings on fabric to cover a stele.
I’m sure a little more pondering will help you discover a way to proceed!
I always love seeing the combination of ultramarine and green every spring – we have some very thick clumps in places which look gorgeous. I felt your flower heads could have been denser so I shall be interested to see how you proceed. xx
I suggest you go surfing for photos of real grape hyacinths and see what is essential to them in your eyes. The change of shape, scale and spacing as they go down the stem? The subtle changes of colour from greener to more violet to more blue with white frills? Then simplify. The leaves are good. You were right to take out the weak triangles of blobs. Good luck.
I like your mixture of embroidery stitches on the leaves, giving an otherwise flat leaf, a lot of texture. I´m interested to see how you finish the flowers, you always find something intricate.
I have a great affection for grape hyacinths as well, they were my Grandmother’s favourites and I remember them in her garden. The leaves and stems are looking grand, but yes, you were right to unpick the flowers, they didn’t capture that wonderful bubbly vibrancy of the real thing.
I’ll be very interested in how you devise a way of mounting and finishing the little family, I envisage some puzzling about how the change of level between the edge of the goldwork and the background fabric are handled, not having the slightest clue how I’d approach that. Hope it doesn’t cause too much frustration!
I like it so far.
It is looking good. Have a look around the web for other ways of stitching this. Even if you don’t find anything it will tell you if you are on the right track.