Sky & Clouds

Since I last posted about Elsa Parrish's Winds of Color, it's progressed nicely.

On the right side, an area with double hungarian stitch with blended threads has been added. This area was an interesting challenge because instead of stitching full stitch repeats with a given color, the emphasis was on directing the colors through the full shape of the area. I started with the lightest color, working it down and to the right, doing parts of the stitch repeats. After I thought I had enough of that color, I blended two strands of the lightest with two strands of the next shade, working around the previous stitches. The toughest part was keeping an eye on the stitch pattern to make sure it would work out after the other colors were added.

Three areas of underside couching have been stitched, also. (Actually, it's called underside couching in the instructions; I didn't pull the top thread to the back as is shown in the link. There are just tiny couching stitches on top of the fabric.) These areas are the gray cloud on the left side, the area under the green trees, and the light blue/lavender areas of the sky. It's really neat how the couching enhances the coloration of the background without overwhelming it.

I've got some questions about two of the areas that are up soon, so I've emailed the designer. I guess I'll be skipping ahead to other areas as I continue to work on this.