Goldwork Finished

... drum roll...

I have named it 

Nautilus

The finishing touch involved tidying up the outline with a fine pearl purl wire and a beautifully dark raspberry colours stranded silk from Colour Streams. 

Pearl purl is a very 'chunky', rather rigid metal thread. It comes as a hollow coil like a spring and looks a little like a string of gold beads. When you stretch it right out you get this beautiful continues coil which, when stitched down with coloured thread results in a fabulous candy stripe outline.
If you are not familiar with pearl purl you can jump over to Needle 'n' Thread where Mary Corbet has several articles on it and how to use it.

You can wrap the coloured threads into the purl before you stitch it down, but I had already cut the skein of silk for another project to the strands weren't long enough. Instead I had to stitch into every single coil along the outline.

It worked a treat. I am really, really happy with this one and look forward to getting it laced up ready to be framed. The best thing about finishing - I can start a new piece! - And trust me, I have had plenty of ideas while stitching this one. If only there were more hours in the day...

Have a fabulous weekend,
Anna x

PS Below are the list of post for this project if you want to check back and see how this piece came about.
The start | Progress 1 | Progress 2 | Progress 3 | Progress 4 | Progress 5

Goldwork progress - nearly there

After having been set aside for a bit my goldwork piece is back on the stand and nearly there...

It is so close and I had hoped to finish it on the weekend - but it is pruning time in the vineyard, so when the sun is out, so am I armed with pruning snips. I actually don't mind pruning. There is something very satisfying about turning wild and unruly looking vines into something more tidy and manageable...

...a bit like metal thread tails really. It occurred to me that pruning in many ways is not that different from tidying up metal thread tails...! This is the last lobe and the very last few tails on this one.

The last bit of copper twist outline. I love how the couching thread becomes completely invisible when you couch twist. 

Each stitch is placed to follow the twist of the thread and I split the twist so that I only catch one ply. As I pull the stitch to, I rotate the twist slightly and the stitch disappears like magic. 

The last two lobes complete. 

And there...

It kind of look finished, but there is just one more thing I want to do to neaten the outline. It will have to wait until later in the week so I can stitch during the day.

Have a wonderful week,

Anna