Into the Blue
5 x 6.5 inches. A view from the West Dyke Trail in Richmond, BC.
You might notice this one looks a little different. There is some thread in it but I’ve also used crewel wool. The fuzziness of the wool creates the very soft effect I felt this scene needed. It also does not have a sheen, which allows me use it as background. Then when I stitch thread over the top it gives the effect of the morning light hitting the taller stalks.
The sky and water are hand-painted with Pebeo Setasilk silk paint. I used a large make-up brush for the sky (a pristine one dedicated to painting!) as I find they absorb the paint better. You have to work very quickly and paint in large stripes of colour from more intense blue to less intense. The stripes then blend together as they dry. I painted the distant mountains and the dyke water using a smaller brush. Then as you sew you have to make sure the threads don’t crisscross behind the water or they’ll show through the silk and make the water look muddy and dirty.
The distant trees are worked in crewel wool, sometimes using single strands. This took an absolute age and I don’t know if I’d do it again. You certainly need a good light for the job. And it was very rewarding adding the foreground threads and pale shiny threads in the middle distance – but such a long wait for that moment! I can see myself using crewel wool here and there in future though. Embroidery Marketplace in Calgary have an excellent range from Appletons including plenty of the duller colours I found myself needing for this one.