The Amarna Family Group May Be Finished!
Of course, as I was unpicking the seat, I had to unpick more than just the seat so that I could get to the stitches I needed to unpick (are you keeping up?!). I suppose I should have seen it coming, but the result was some rather uncontrolled gold thread flapping loose. I found myself becoming very afraid that I would end up crossing the gold thread, and that would never do!
So I found a nice, slippy machine thread and used it to tack down the thread in the middle of the unstitched area. I didn’t want to be too thorough, in case I ended up leaving gaps that weren’t there originally, but at the same time I had to control all the threads..
Reinstating the seat was actually rather less troubling than Akhenaten’s kilt, which required some extra thinking about, because of course pleats falling close together, and pleats opened a little as they curve around the body look rather different.
But this is now at the stage where I need to start considering how to mount it, which in turn means, I think, deciding how to assemble a velvet-covered stela. I may need some help…
Episode 55 of SlowTV Stitchery is now live, in which I declare a Year of Experiments, muse on lessons from The Camberwell, and consider the need to develop thread-wrangling techniques.
The new seat is just right, and the improved balance of the panel is worth the effort involved. A fine note for the finish of Armana.
Wow! Looks amazing!
The seat is brilliant, it all fits together now doesn’t it? I wondered about heavy duty pelmet vilene, both for your stele (stela?) and as support for the Christmas angel. Might be just a bit too flexible?
As to your fish, I am so enjoying them, those broken edges in the current (no pun intended) one work absolutely, and the varying stitches you used for the other worked really well in contrast with the rhythm of the bargello. As to flow – if you think about it, you see ripples even underwater as different currents or temperatures buffet against each other, so why not ripples across your vision of a fish? Of course then you wonder about being consistent in depictions of more than one fish!! I do love the idea of having two differing rhythms of flow across the width though – the interesting complexities of negotiating where those patterns meet!
I was amused by your comment about making your threads behave, I have been admiring how you manage them in every episode so far, it has been working so well.
Keep warm – cold fingers drop needles, and then find them hard to pick up!!
Armana is wonderful, and all the picking and unpicking, and adjustments have become an intimate view of the the family! Beautiful work!
Such a beautiful piece. xx
Wonderful work Rachel,
A lot of work and worry but a great result.
This is another style of embroidery I’ve seen. Very beautiful work Rachel.
[…] because I had such a disheartening time with the bird’s wings. Once I’d got the Amarna Family completed, at least to the point of wondering how to display it, the Cat started to haunt my […]