Burgundy Rose Leaves

The Burgundy Rose on what will be a pincushion, is starting to bloom.  :)  Yesterday, I managed to finish stitching the leaves, and once again I have to mention how vibrant and fantastic the colors look against the snow white linen.  The colors that Trish Burr chose for this particular flower are somewhat reminiscent of a Victorian Christmas.  Here is a picture of the DMC floss required to stitch the leaves.  Pretty combination, isn't it?

 

After completing the stem and thorns, I outlined all three leaves with a split stitch.  I started with the smallest leaf, which wasn't difficult.  The stitches I made in order to use all the colors required for the shading were TINY!  I have really good vision, but even I had to break out the magnifying glass for this leaf! lol

I'm not 100% happy with the way the edges of the little leaf turned out, but all in all, I think it looks okay.

The second leaf was a little bit more difficult because of the turnover.  However, Trish Burr includes directional lines for the stitches in her outlines, so that certainly helps a lot!  Plus, the book is filled with hints and tips on how to change stitch directions, and work around curves.  Here is how the second leaf turned out:

The last leaf was the simplest, and I really love how the shading turned out.  In the book, Trish instructed to use a split stitch for the center vein, but I used a stem stitch instead.  I also added tiny little shadow stitches in the darkest green next to vein on the upper side of the leaf.

Last but not least, I added the stem that connects the two leaves to the main branch.  I also used a stem stitch for this.  I think the leaves came out well, and next, I get to the stitch the sepals.  They are pretty small, so it will for sure be more challenging than the leaves.

I plan on spending the afternoon working on the netting for the Irish Crochet Capelet.  I'll share some photos of it's progress tomorrow or Monday.  What are your plans for the weekend?

I've also decided on what item I will be gifting for my next Blog Giveaway, and here it is:

  

The bracelet was tatted using Valdani Luxury Pearl Silk in color S514.  It's a really pretty cream/beige/gold variegated thread.  The bracelet is adorned with 3mm Swarvoski Crystal Pearls, and 3mm Swarvoski Crystal Bicones, and closes with a gold plated lobster claw clasp.  The rules for the giveaway are simple.

1) You MUST be a follower of this blog to participate 

2) Just leave a comment on they days specified of the blog giveaway, and you will be entered.

3) After the specified time period is up, I will write all of the participants down and place the names into a hat.  Whichever name my daughter pulls out of the hat, will receive the gift.

I plan on hosting the giveaway early next week (Monday or Tuesday) and will leave it open for entry for a week.

Simple, huh?  Well, I hear my crochet hook and thread calling to me!

 'Til tomorrow

Happy Stitches!