Friday 3 October 2008

Maze Pattern Couching

Another 'simple detail' is the gold couching on the end of the scroll in maze pattern.

After couching a pair of gold threads around the outside, one thread is sunk to the back while the remaining thread is couched in a continuous line with a constant gap between each row.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

Something does not look right about the end of the scroll but I can't quite figure out what is wrong.

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Many of my fellow students have been in Bournemouth this week for the Autumn class. I would have liked to be with them but I am not able to go twice a year. I hope that they have had an enjoyable and productive week and look forward to seeing their work. My next class will be in March. By then I hope to have finished my Phase III, Venerable Friends and to have made good progress with the Special Class design Embroidery Bridge between East and West.

Happy Stitching

5 comments:

Jane said...

Glad to see this one coming along. Have taken a look at the pics of mine and can see that on mine the twisted red thread goes the whole way round the lower part of the gold. I'll send you a pic. Could be that that makes it look wrong. Nice stitching though.

Anonymous said...

You were missed by all and I will at mine and send you a picture will also send you a picture from the book. Lovely stitching Sue XX

Digitalgran said...

I love all your couching and it reminded me of a visit to Ally Pally years ago and watching Margaret Nicholson, I believe she was Anthea Godfrey's mother? demonstrating it on her stand. I loved her work.

Heather said...

Your Japanese embroidery is beautiful. It reminds me of struggling with goldwork during my City and Guild years, and trying to work or nue - such a simple concept and absolute hell to get right. Well done, and good luck for the rest of your course.

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful stitching and I was puzzling over why you said it didn't look quite right. I think it is a sort of optical illustion - the centre of the scroll should look convex - but it looks concave and I think that is because the lines very slightly curve in like an hour glass (converging lines receed), whereas to create the impression of a convex shape they should curve out. Having said all that, you are constrained by the shape within which you are couching, so I'm not sure you could make it more realistic. I still think it looks wonderful though.