8″ on cotton “Empress Woo” fabric
Stitches:  Back stitch, blanket stitch, french knots, satin stitch
Private Collection

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Musing on Empress Woo is a new direction in my “musing” pieces.  With these pieces I draw on the fabric with air erasing ink and stitch as the ink disappears.  Generally, I have to redraw the design many times – which ensures a very organic experience.

With Woo, I only knew what I wanted to do as I did it. I wanted to enhance this gorgeous fabric, but it’s a fine line between enhancing it and over doing it.

The final piece is 8″ framed in a round embroidery hoop.

I used a mixture of silk, cotton, and metallic floss used.  Primary stitches are back stitch, blanket stitch, french knots and a touch of satin stitch.

The piece was created as an original design to be donated to the 2009 Open Hearth Foundation Spring Ball Auction.

A shot of a work in progress called Musing on Empress Woo.  A little departure from the other Musings, as this one is on a printed fabric not a plain one.  I fell in love with this fabric, called Empress Woo, a while back and finally hunted down a fat quarter to experiment with.  Of course, I had to buy a bunch of other fat quarters with it that I didn’t really care about, but it was totally worth it!.  I’ve discovered that few people seem to have any of the actual Empress Woo pattern with Empress Woo on it in stock anymore.  There are several floral Empress Woo patterns, also by Robyn Pandolph, out there – but they just aren’t as awesome.  FYI, I found Empress Woo to begin with at Free Spirit Fabric. I think my favorite designer there is Jane Sassman.  I used some of her fabric to make a “mused upon” tarot bag for a friend a while back.

But back to the piece at hand…
In case you are wondering, her dress did not have a pattern on it.  Following the same procedure as the other musings, I drew the design on the fabric freehand with air disappearing ink.  That means, of course, that it disappears as I stitch.  I love the temporal nature of it!

Piece is 8" round and will be framed in a hoop. There is a mixture of silk, cotton, and metallic floss used.  Primary stitches are back stitch, blanket stitch, french knots and a touch of satin stitch.

It’s planned as a donation for the 2009 Open Hearth Foundation’s Persephone’s Ball silent auction.

Technorati Tags: embroidery, empress woo, robyn pandolph, hand stitched, WIP

Size: 6″ Round Framed
Stitches: colonial knots, whipped running
Materials: Perle Cotton floss, mother-of-pearl button, linen
Private Collection of Angela Raincatcher

Hand embroidered on linen using DNC cotton perle. Vintage mother of pearl button in center. Stitches: colonial knots and whipped running stitch. Framed in 6″ wooden hoop.

This is part of a series of Musings. The design is drawn directly on the fabric with air disappearing ink and I just let the design evolve.

Technorati Tags: abstract, embroidery, fiber art