Found and to be finished
Very long term readers may recall that over a decade ago, I was working on some additional designs from the Tudor and Stuart Goldwork course, became thoroughly fed up with them, and shoved them in a dark corner until my good temper returned.
It’s taken a while…
Anyway, I’ve found them again, and while the Parterre Knotwork is being difficult, the Amarna finish-work is being difficult, and Aethelflaed is being difficult, I thought I would see whether my good temper had returned, and I could get them finished.
The Acorn was completed – some time in 2012, apparently, and I’d started on the tent stitch for the Honeysuckle, and found myself with some miscounting and unpicking, which I think may have contributed to the loss of temper.
So the first thing to do was to finish all that tiny dark green tent stitch. In fact what you see here was some considerable way into the process – almost all the right side outside the strapwork gaps is new – but with my new-since-I-started working light with magnifier, and my working spectacles, it actually went rather better than a decade ago.
The first addition was silk Spiral Trellis for the centre of the flower – I enjoyed that, even though it’s so tiny. So now I can start on the gold and silver strapwork!
First up is reverse chain stitch, which was a relatively easy way in. I like the stitch, and find it useful, so it’s familiar. The round-eyed Japanese needles are less so, and I struggle to thread them, but they were such a feature of the Online University courses that I feel I should persevere with them.
There’s a definite satisfaction in finding and finishing long-abandoned projects. (Or, if you’re me, discovering that you have already used the materials on other things, and can’t get more.) This looks a sufficiently small and straightforward project to refresh your zest for the more complex things, which will be waiting impatiently for your return.
The acorn is lovely. Hope you enjoy working on the rest of the honeysuckle.
Always interesting to revisit a piece from the past. It feels like time travel to me, talking to my past self.
Ha ha, you sound like me with all my problems with my computers, but, you just have to hang in there and keep at it. And, think about how good you will feel when you are finished, you will be able to attempt anything!
So a magnifier is the way to go. It is satisfying to finish something so I hope you don’t get fed up with them again.
Sounds like having the right tools has helped massively this time. They are gorgeous little pieces and I hope some successes will help spur you on to overcome the current difficulties.