Blue Flower Metal Embroidery Done

I made a few changes to the piece, most prominent among them the blue bud at the top, removal of the extra leaf, and replacing the edging with gold twist instead of blue silk. There are other minor changes, such as the center of the flower. I think I like it better this way (apologies to Ms Kinsey), and it's a good thing I am not sending it in for evaluation.

The most difficult part was the rough purl, used in the pea-pod shaped leaf. I had to pick them up very carefully with the pads of my fingers, any extra pressure such as with my finger nails, and they crimp. I hope I never have to work with these again!

I think a square gold metal frame with be appropriate for this piece.

Blue Flower Silk and Metal Embroidery

While waiting for my next JE class next month, when I'll start on (deep breath) Antique Mirrors, I decided to work on a piece I got about 5 years ago as part of a GCC course -  "Beginning" silk and metal class. I was not very interested initially, and didn't review the contents in detail until now. It came with a nice heavy  piece of silk, already edge-hemmed and carefully packed. The instructions were well written, with a lot of information on the various silks and metals, history and their usage. I made some minor modifications, changing a leaf to a bud (which I'm very fond of), and using JE techniques in places. I used my Pilot frixion pen to draw the design on the fabric. Surprise! This is the first fabric I've encountered that the tracing remains quite obvious even when heat erased! I will have to keep this in mind.
The blue flat silk thread came from Japan, but felt slightly different than the silk from JEC- maybe sturdier and doesn't snag as much - but seems to be less shiny. Instead of using 6 strands of flat silk per the instructions, I used 3 strands and stitched them very close together; I also changed the angle of the stitching on the petals.

The motifs are small, making them quite difficult to do. I don't agree that this is a beginner's piece. This will be a (hopefully enjoyable) challenge.

The rough purl flower center was hard to do. A few of the spirals on the left side were ok, but the rest are not good. I will sit on it for a while, and see if I feel like re-doing them.