In Japanese embroidery the elements of a motif, such as the petals of a flower, and individual elements are defined by leaving a small gap between the stitching. This is called a one-point open space and is one of the things I find most difficult to control. The gap should be big enough that the shapes are clearly defined but not so large that they look clumsy.
The upper elements determine the shape of those behind them, not the other way around so it makes sense to stitch them first. This is particularly so with heavily padded embroidery. In the picture below the uppermost petals have been padded and stitched, they determine the placement of the padding for the next layer of petals.
The stitching on these petals fits around the (hopefully) perfectly shaped top petals.
Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule and I will learn about those in later Phases. If you can't wait 5 years (at my current rate of progress) for me to reach Phase IX, you can read why Jane is stitching back-to-front in this post.
Happy Stitching
2 comments:
Thank you Carol Anne for taking the trouble to answer my query. I find the different techniques in different styles of embroidery very interesting. You attention to detail is enabling me to understand Japanese embroidery with much more clarity. May be one day I will pluck up the courage to try it :-)
Carol Anne, your embroidery is amazing and so interesting - I had a few days to catch up. Thankyou for such a great explanation.
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