Anatomy of a Silk Shaded Embroidery

Last spring, I traveled to San Francisco to complete my fourth and final module of the Certificated Course of the Royal School of Needlework. I had already done this module with poor results so when they offered to allow me the privilege of re-doing my silk shading, I jumped on it. I would like to report that I received the grade I was hoping for, but I didn't. All in all, I'm happy to be finished and ready to move on to the next adventure.

This course is held bi-yearly in San Francisco at the Forever Embroidery Studio. Each module, or area of study, lasts ten days. The stitching below represents my work from ten full days of stitching.




I chose this bluebell as the flower I would stitch.

Once the outlines are painted on and pick stitched in place, stitching can commence. Always work from background to foreground.

 

 

 

 

 



After tackling the small blue petals, I decided to change colors and work on the leaves.

 

 

Now I can really see the flower take shape. I'm beginning to see the light at the end.

This section was quite tricky as the order of the petals change slightly so stitching is a bit disorganized.

Very little room remaining with which to tie on and off. Looks like I'm going to finish today after all.

Last petal.

 

Finished design.

This is my method of keeping track of thread colors. After a while, they all look the same color.

 

Mounting is a critical step which can be quite daunting. I decided to record my corners because I can never remember how I did them.