WIP: Fans & Tassels Kimono (by Sophia Designs)

Continuing the Japanese theme from yesterday, today's featured WIP is the Fans and Tassels Kimono, a handpainted canvas from Sophia Designs. At least, that was the name I found on one website. I usually just think of it as "the red kimono".

Technique/Materials:  The kimono is a handpainted design on 18ct mono canvas.  It is stitched primarily in silks and metallics, including Japan gold threads, with some beaded touches.

Background:  This piece was started in August 2005 during a canvas enhancement class with Brenda Hart, who was brought into town by my local ANG chapter. Brenda helped me with a stitch guide for most of the major sections of the canvas, and I love how it's come out so far. (I've posted before about this piece. Check out the first four results from that link.)

Of course, I always have to make things more complicated than they need to be. Since kimonos are typically shown with motifs in Traditional Japanese Embroidery, and that style often has couched areas of Japan gold threads, I decided that the tassels and the gold outlines of this design should be couched Japanese gold. I'm going all the way - right down to stitching the gold in pairs and using the traditional koma (spools) to hold the thread while stitching.

Why it's not done:  That's a lot of couching, which can sometimes make my carpal tunnel syndrome flare up. (Wow. It seems like this is a common theme. Maybe I should actually suck it up and get this fixed!)

What's left to do:  The couching, which I estimate will take at least 30 hours. But it will be stunning when it's done, if I say so myself.