Camellia Petal

The side petal turned out quite acceptable. The biggest help was re-reading the Susan Steven's instructions.

My epiphyllum is blooming nicely. The flowers are as big as Coco's head. Two are in full bloom, one is fading, and the next one will open this evening. They are most fragrant at night.

Padded Camellia

Finished the petals of the first camellia, and started on the padded one. Should have made the stitches in the first row longer.

So to make up for it, I made the second row long. It is not as neat as it should be, but I'm letting it stand for this petal. Hopefully the next row will cover up the unevenness.

I think I'll mount up the Summer Hydrangea next - maybe I'll work both pieces concurrently, for a change.

Blue Heron

I have been collecting blue heron pictures for a while. This is a good time to try it out, before re-starting the JE Camellia piece. The photos that the piece is based on:

Today's progress - I used bullion knots for the legs. I will see if it works after I put the reflections in.

I am having trouble with the head and the beak. I already took it out a couple of times. I will have to review Trish Burr's techniques and then re-visit.

Bee Eater finished

Bee eater is (maybe) done! The signature is not great - I may re-do it; the date is ok. I was extra careful with the beak and the feet -  both turned out well. She is very cute - I think I'll name her Betty.