The Island - finished

I did not want to worry about individual plants for the smaller shrubs, grasses and wild flowers on the islands shoreline. Instead I used a variety of stitches to represent the different appearance and textures of the plants. I also used heavier threads than those used for the trees to make this area more prominent.

© Carol-Anne Conway

© Carol-Anne Conway

My original plan for the reflection in the lake was to use an embroidered net insert. I abandoned this idea for two reasons; 1. I was concerned about meeting the deadline for completing this piece and 2. I had made an earlier error that made this idea less doable. I had realised early on that I had transferred the design onto the fabric the wrong way around. Unfortunately, I realised it too late to rectify the mistake or to start over.

In place of the lace insert I decided to stitch the reflection in a stitch that resembled ripples on water. I used differing weight threads, starting with a heavier one closest to the island where the reflection is strongest, and graduating to the finest thread further away from the island where the reflection is more faded.

© Carol-Anne Conway

Ultimately I was really disappointed with the finished piece and that is why I have not felt motivated to write about it. The biggest problem is the trees which are too indistinct. I think the reflections work reasonably well but I think the embroidered net would have been better. I think there are three main reasons it has not worked out as I originally envisaged.

1. Although I am an experienced and confident stitcher, I am not a designer and did not do any design work for this piece other that look at lots of photographs and picture it in my mind. I think I should have taken some time to sample various stitches to help with my choices (especially when taking point 2 into consideration).

2. This is my first attempt at white work so I had no previous knowledge of what works well and what pit falls to watch for (such as how much puckering can occur with pulled thread work).

3. I did not allow myself enough time so when I encountered problems I had to push on regardless. With more time I might have experimented with different stitches, laced the sides when I first noticed puckering, or started again when I realised I had transferred the design the wrong orientation. I certainly would have tried the net embroider and might have put trailing around some of the trees which may have been enough to elevate this piece from rubbish to alright.

© Carol-Anne Conway

That said, I did enjoy stitching the piece and have learnt a lot from it. As they say, you learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes.

Happy Stitching