Monday 6 February 2012

Chinese Flower, finished

Next on my list of things to finish was Chinese Flower.

When I began this piece in September, I never imagined it would still be on the frame in January. I have taken a lot of time and care over the stitching but even so I am amazed at how much stitching time this small piece took (unfortunately, I did not record my hours but as a rough guide one each leaf took 3-4 hours to stitch).

© Trish Burr/Carol-Anne Conway

I cannot sing the praises of this on-line course enough. I think the design is really pretty. The transfer on the fabric was excellent; the grey lines are dark enough to be seen clearly but cover nicely with the thread. The instructions are very good, with clear indications for colour placement, stitch direction and order of stitching. I also purchased Trish’s DVD, The Long and the Short of It, and found this indispensable. I initially watched it all the way through but then review the relevant sections for each lesson. Optional assessment was offered as part of the course for a limited time period (beyond the end of the course). I only completed Lesson one during that time frame. Trish’s response was timely, gracious and very helpful. Even though it was well past the finish date, I did send a picture of my finished design purely for her to see and Trish responded with some very lovely comments about my stitching.

© Trish Burr/Carol-Anne Conway

As for stitching the design, well I loved it! The printed design looks a little cartoonish and I could not image how I would transform that into anything closely resembling Trish’s stitched sample. I tried to everything I had ever heard or read about long and short stitch and follow Trish’s instructions as closely as possible. From the very first element, the rose bud, I was staggered to see what was emerging from my needle and as the project progressed I felt more and more confident about my stitching.

© Trish Burr/Carol-Anne Conway

I could not wait to start the kingfisher. I was aiming to make the colour transitions and appearance of the leaves and petals as smooth as possible so, at first, I found it difficult to achieve the more irregular look of the bird’s feathers. I eventually got the hang of it and, once I had, I really enjoyed the freeness of stitching with abandon!

© Trish Burr/Carol-Anne Conway

I am such a silkaholic that I did not think I would ever be satisfied with a piece stitched in cotton floss but I am quite impressed with how it came out. I’d be interested to see the same piece stitched in silk for comparison but I won’t be undertaking that any time soon.

If you have been thinking about taking this course (if/when Trish reruns it), I whole heartedly recommend it and I am delighted with my version of the Chinese Flower.

Happy Stitching

11 comments:

Lee Albrecht said...

lindo!maravilhoso!

Cynthia Gilbreth said...

I took this course as well and absolutely loved it! Trish has published two companion pieces and I can't wait to start them. The nice thing about cotton is that you don't feel so bad about taking out unsatisfactory stitches, as it costs less than one-fifth that of silk!

Rachel said...

Well done indeed - it's gorgeous. Do you feel it's helped you with your long-and-short stitch?

Cath said...

Beautiful stiching and so cute

Marjolein said...

It is a beauty!
You did a marvellous job.
I have done a small piece of threadpainting from one of Trish' book and I am still working on a pillow. The instructions in her books are very clear. I have ordered her new book and can't wait till its arrival in my letterbox.

Susan Elliott said...

Absolutely gorgeous! I HAVE to add this class to the list. Can you just buy the DVD and get the same instruction? Is the class a must especially if you don't want to stitch her kit...?

MeganH said...

Oh my! This piece should be a reference for L&S!!! Beautiful!

I love the front leaf the most - it looks totally 3D.

I'm SO getting the CD, and doing the course....um, after the Casket course?

Kathy said...

This is just beautiful work! I haven't taken the plunge into sillk shading but have most of Tirsh Burr's books...what's that say I wonder! Good to know that you all rate her couse so highly. I'll look for one coming up.
Liebe Grüße,
Kathy

Agata said...

omg, its just georgeous! amazing little piece :)

Angela said...

Wow, this is really stunning!!

Nena said...

Olá!
Belíssimo trabalho!
Bjo,Nena