Wednesday 8 September 2010

Elizabethan 3-d hand embroidered Acorn

Finally, (after much panicking) I am very pleased to say: here is the 3-d non-wired & non-stuffed, self-supporting gold Acorn - worked in Cylindrical Ceylon Stitch - of which there are about 10 examples on The Bag – 5 acorns, one butterfly and the rest made into flattened out flower petals, that has been on my mind constantly and has jumped the Bag motif queue here..

CIMG4044

Below it’s placed next to its Big Brother – I know, looks awfully like a peanut, but on the real Bag they made them out of 2 colours to distinguish the cup area….yep, they thought of everything and I’m sure you’ll agree, this is a very clever solution to making nuts just from sewing;  no ‘props’.

2

Below I’m pulling it to one side to show you how it would form into one of those magnificent highly raised petals for a flower I haven’t yet shown you a drawing of.   They squashed it flat for that element.  

3

Below is my main cotton mock-up.  After I made this miniature cup (plenty of possibilities there for miniature bits and bobs e.g. an entire mini-tea set – o-oh, there I go again!), I knew by then I could probably pull out some Smooth Passing Gilt Number 5 supplied by Dear Bill and not waste it

Well, all I can say is: then the real fun began…..(more later)

Acorn cup - Ceylon Stitch 1

Notice I use the description ‘cylindrical’ and not ‘spiral’ – important reason – details to follow…

Also notice the base is narrower than the rest BUT the shape grows naturally upwards, NOT outwards, (unless you increase of course)…..more later

Skill level = easy !

I look forward very much to explaining how I made it soon (its in draft, but no surprises if tell you its pretty long…..:)

________________

Decided I’ll take the Aemilia Ars lady with me to Italy and try and get it finished during the flight (hopefully I wont have to sit next to anyone that wants to talk?).  You never know, I might get to the Museum where the original artefact is stored (*tingles with anticipation*).  DH & DD are not mad-keen on Museums, they actually frog-marched me through The Rijks Museum in Amersterdam during their enormous exhibition on The Ottoman Empire – can you believe that!!) – will have to work out where I can deposit them as soon as I get there!!! 

cya !