slowly but surely...

So what have I been doing all this time? Well, my non-stop-addiction-level sewing still isn’t back, but I have made some progress. This (Below) is what you last saw:

And this (Below) is where I am now:

(Above) The fibulae have been fired, rubbed with paint & wax, and attached to the cloth. The central red section has been fully embedded with pins, buttons, etc. And - of course - some of the fibulae were repositioned - the 3 muses have been moved from the shoulder down to the collar, and the ironing ladies are down near the bottom of the circle.

(Above) Years ago, I found a bunch of highly oxidized copper at Dead Horse Bay (where the sea reveals that which was buried) and now I used it to create some fibulae-shapes:

I also stitched circular patterns around some of the fibulae.

(Below): The carders now have wires in their tools, and a twist of dark wool, which runs up from the sheep-shearers on the bottom up to the fates on top. The wool connects the figures visually and helps demonstrate each worker’s job.

(Above) The lower carder has a belt of small tools, which I’ve exaggerated into a copper loop of old pins.

(Above) the two dye workers - a smelly job - are positioned in the armpit.

(Below) although the blue/greenish threads show up in detail, they disappear at a distance. I’m wondering: should I thicken the levels of stitching to enhance the color visibility? Like this:

(Below) Here’s a comparison - current stitches on the left, and color-enhanced on the right. The finer lines create little Easter eggs to be found upon close viewing, but the enhanced stitching adds to the overall composition….maybe.

Meanwhile, I have started working on a new project, which you’ll see next week….but I can’t promise weekly posts. We’ll see how it goes!

Stay safe, stay sane

Diane