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I love it all: embroidery, canvaswork, quilting, crochet. So much to do, so little time.





Friday, November 21, 2014

Lloyd and Lola are Done

No, not as a couple.  (smile)  I named my wolves, so why not the lovebirds!  I've kept up with the lessons in my cyberclass, so now my blackwork lovebirds are finished.

Tanja Berlin's Just the Two of Us
I really, really like them.

This was billed as a beginning blackwork class,
but there were a lot of challenges along the way:
the stem stitch around the toes was tricky,
the heads are a dense layering of
DMC 310, YLI black silk and a
Belle Soie in dark periwinkle
(hard to see in this photo).
And let's not forget the very fine pearl purl
which had to be couched down
around the bodies and the beaks.
But challenging yourself does
give a feeling of accomplishment.

Here are the heads in various stages of progress.
I was really happy to be able to get
rid of the last of the red tacking stitches!


 And here is a close-up of the head.
You can see the periwinkle peeping through the black.
The reason the red in the beak
doesn't extend all the way to the
black stem-stitched inner border is that
this type of lovebird has a
white band across the top of its beak.
I actually looked up lovebirds on the Internet
because it was bugging me.
The eyes are spangles (sequins) held down
with a kind of eyelet stitch.

I would definitely urge you to try a cyberclass,
if you see one that interests you.
We posted WIP photos all along the way,
and got lots of good (and prompt!) feedback from Tanja.
I felt that I had plenty of time
to complete each class, too.

That's it from here.
I'm taking them to the framer's today.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for visiting!

15 comments:

Rita said...

They are wonderful!

Linda said...

Congrats on the gorgeous finish.

Linda

Samplings from Spring Creek said...

They are beautiful--and a beginning class--they look so much more advanced.

Nice name

Happy Baker said...

It came out great, can't wait to see them in a frame. Nice work!

Von said...

Cyberclasses are great!! I've never tried blackwork; maybe that's one to put in my to do list. :)

rosey175 said...

Oh I've loved the idea of taking a cyberclass for a while now but our Internet is so awful they wouldn't load. :( Maybe someday when rural areas get better options. Your lil' lovebirds, they turned out so well. It's amazing the little detail that pops out when you look close!

Jayne said...

They look fantastic, I have no patience with blackwork.

Sheryl said...

Beautiful stitching

Christine said...

That is stunning!

Julie said...

Amazing, they look so beautiful. Well done.

Giovanna said...

Congratulations, it's an awesome finish.

Wendy said...

what a gorgeous piece! You did a great job and I bet you learnt a lot

Carol said...

What an incredible piece--and the names you chose for the lovebirds are perfect :)

Anonymous said...

just found your blog awesome finishes you have!! beautifully done, check out my blogs if you have time

Sally said...

They are brilliant! So sweet.