WIP Dragonflies ...

I have been beavering away on 'Over the Pond' all weekend and am now ready to start stitching the three dragonflies.  Because the design is kind of symmetrical, I have been working systematically from the centre out and finishing one element of the design at a time before moving onto the next.

First the buttercups. Long & Short stitch petals, with pistil stitch stamens and a little group of tiny gold beads for a bit of spakle.

Next up, the leaves.
I know my general rule is to always start satin stitch in the middle of a shape as I showed HERE. But, as with most rules, there are exceptions and long, slender leaves (or shapes) like these are one of them. Here, I use the satin stitch diagonally across the full width of the leaf and I use the angle of the lower edge of the leaf for the direction of the stitches:

NARROW SATIN STITCH LEAVES

1. I bring the thread to the front at the bottom point of the leaf, then take the needle to the back, placing a straight stitch along the lower edge.

2. The first stitch covers the line to the point the shape of the leaf begins to curl.
I place the next stitch parallel to the first.




3. By maintaining the same stitch direction along the length of the leaf, the satin stitch will naturally fall diagonally across the shape.

4. When you get the the top, the last stitch will fall along the upper drawn line.
If the leaf curls a lot at the top, I will add one or more shorter stitches to finish.
The main thing is to maintain the same angle of the satin stitch all the way to the top.



I used just two shades of green for the leaves. The reflection of light on the satin stitch, make it appear as if I have used more shades and give the leaves movement.

Round and fat padded satin stitch buds and stem stitch stems, complete the foliage and this is where I finished last night...

When I stitch at night, I am always curious to see if my project looks as nice the next morning as I felt it did when I went to bed. At times I get back the next day, look at it in daylight and wonder what on earth I was thinking the night before, before I start the day 'reverse stitching'.
Not this time - I am happy. It is coming along nicely.
Now it is time for some brilliant turquoise dragonflies....

Happy Monday,
Anna