Getting things done

It's been a pretty good day so far. I have finished the trim for the upper part of the apron dress. I still need to do the re-enforcing stitch work on the gores, but that shouldn't take long at all. Perhaps I'll even have time to do some actual embroidery on it too. Here are photos to show the process I am using:

 Preparing to start working. Holding fabric in my left hand, the needle is being held by the fabric.











Pick up the warp with my right hand and twist twice in a clockwise direction.

Pinch the trim under my left thumb, pick up the needle with my right hand. Bring the needle through the fabric from front to back between the two warp threads.  Make sure the needle goes over the thread in back. (Should have made a photo of that...)









Pull the thread tight, place needle back in fabric, prepare to repeat process.

I also managed to complete the stitch outline for the first panel of Margaret's obi today. I have the next panel drawn out and will probably start stitching it down next week. I'm planning to complete all the outline work prior to beginning the embroidery, because I am not stretching the fabric in the Asian style (I'm using a hoop) I want to put as little stress on the actual embroidery as possible. If you look closely at the narrow end of the branches you can see where they cut off abruptly, this is where the next panel will start. I need to draft the next two panels today or tomorrow. Each of the flowers will be done in either white or pink (they're magnolia blossoms) the branches of course will be a combination of browns. I am also considering adding a bird or two, mostly because I figure I'm going to be plenty sick of flowers by the time I am done with this project. I did happily remember where I could find a mature magnolia tree. This allowed me to take some photos of the branches for reference, so I don't end up using the two branches I have drawn over and over again (this also qualifies as boring). 

I spent some time looking for new books that I want use in my research. Now to go give our librarian a headache by asking her to track them down for me. They are: Woven into the Earth, Cloth and Clothing in Early Anglo-Saxon England, Viking Clothing, and Icelanders in the Viking Age.