Wet and soggy again

Cold, wet and soggy underfoot where I live today, so I was very glad to stay inside in the warmth, stitching. I have been trying to follow this week's Embellish Stitch and Enrich lesson, and spent most of the morning creating a small piece using a photograph as inspiration. I found a colourful shot taken at the National Rhododendron Gardens some time back and used that - but the result was truly awful and I chucked in the fire! Then I did an exercise in creating fabric, cutting it and weaving it back together - this was better and has the potential to be OK when completed, and embellished in some way.



Then I made these bookmarks, which I plan to give to a much loved couple on Sunday for their birthdays, and these I think are OK. They are made with wool and silk fibres on brown felt with some running stitches, and the gum (Eucalypt) leaves were made separately from silk on green felt, cut out using a leaf from one of my trees, embroidered and attached with the Embellisher. Coincidentially they are also the colours for the June TIF, so I am going to take the easy option and call these my effort for this month's Take it Further challenge.

The last photo is of my latest Op shop booty, proof that one should never walk past a good Op Shop. A pile of silk scarves found in another town, mostly hand dyed and of various sizes - total cost a couple of dollars. They will be used in future projects to add texture and colour. Silk is such wonderful stuff to work with, and the Embellisher loves it.