Hi all,
For those of you that are curious, you may notice that the faces and hands of the people in the patches are not rippled, as with the Laid stitch. That is because I use the Split stitch to create more realistic-looking faces and hands. I did try a couple of stitches with Laid stitch on the faces, and found them to look distorted. I also learned that in order for the faces and hands to look better, I had to go to one strand or two, not the typical 3 strands that I use throughout the rest of the patch. Anything that needs great detail requires less strands. I also use the Stem stitch to outline the images, and to help me give the picture more structure before I fill in the areas with color. Many of the images I have ironed on have come out smeared or not clear, so outlining the entire picture first, has helped me keep the picture more true. I don’t like to waste material or transfer paper, or ink, so when a picture isn’t as clear as I’d like it, I outline it to see if I can still use it, before I trash it and start over.
Please ask questions and send me ideas of other art mediums to talk about. On this blog, I welcome you to teach others what you know and what you love in the medieval art/history realm.
Julie