Floundering along.........Personal Library of Stitches Lesson 4.........

Sampler for Lesson 4 - Fish Face! (All my 'thinking' about lines from Lesson 3 spilled over into this one)


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Lines in different weights of stitches and threads on a piece of old woollen blanket dyed in the washing machine. It didn't felt very well, and it still frays a bit, so I think there must be some synthetic fibre in it. I had to use a piece of light backing fabric because I found that it stretched too much in the hoop.

I've tried to put in some texture and density. Some areas I have deliberately left unstitched to provide a contrast. I've overstitched some of the herringbone and cretan stitch with a thinner thread. I've used a heavily textured version of chain stitch for the major lines, lighter colours , thinner threads and more open stitches for the others. There is a heavily encrusted band right across the centre with washers, bullions and French knots and a heavy line of laced and whipped chain stitch at the top, to balance the weight at the bottom. I've used a fine knitting yarn in a colour to almost match the background for the fin, to try and give it a transparent look.

The idea is that the lines lead your eye from the 'points' of the eyes and mouth away to the tail area and beyond, to give the idea forward movement.

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Features: eyes are flat black buttons, white plastic curtain rings, black sequins and white beads. Mouth is a sequin with a piece of black felt behind it.

I had fun doing this. I was watching 'Pirates of the Carribean - Deadman's Chest' - I think you can see the influence!