worksofhands Berlin

Started: Dec. 13, 2009

Finished: January 20, 2010

Metallics, Silk threads and DMC Rayon threads on white linen.

23 x 23 cm.

Based on photos of Svea, the design features her blue eyes and bubbles which represents the temporal nature of life, like how fast youth and innocence disappear.

I chose bold colors on the hair and clothes, using stitches referred to as “Oriental stitches” in the book “The Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework” by Therèse de Dillmont. They are called laidwork stitches in Pauline Brown´s ” The Encyclopedia of Embroidery Techniques”. Laidwork is covering an area with straight stitches, like satin stitches, and couched to hold them in place. Couching can be as simple as a small stab stitch to a decorative stitches similar to filling stitches in crewel embroidery.

Svea´s face was stitched using thin silk thread filaments. It resembles my drawing style of creating shades by using straight lines, when drawing with pencil or pen & ink.

The outline cord is chain stitch using silk and whipped with metallics.

Click on the photo to see the original large format.

Svea Vanitas (Bubbles) Dec 15 2009 After 8 hours

I am now starting to fill in the hair and dress with “Oriental Stitches”, usually found in antique chinese and japanese silk embroideries. The outline cord is now being whipped with metallics. If you click for the larger format, you will notice that the bubbles are also whipped with metallics.