Aloe and a Spider plus web, silk ribbon flowers

The thread I used for wrapping the wire to create the stems is Gloriana stranded silk, Granny Smith Green(053). I wrapped using four strands. I left long ends of threads so I was able to use the same thread to tack down both ends of the wrapped stems onto the fabric when I did my placement onto the printed fabric.

For the length of the stems I couched the wrapped wire onto the fabric using a single strand of Simply Shaker’s Toaster Barley (7064) and also used this same thread for the fine hairs on the stems.

The instructions stated to couch the top of the stems onto the top of the fabric as it would be covered by the bullion flower heads and to poke the bottom of the stems through to and secure onto the back of fabric but I felt the picot stitched leaves would more than cover the wire stem ends if I secure them to the front of the fabric.

I used single strand Ed Mar Glory weight threads for the flower heads. The rayon I used (starting from bottom to top colors) is: Tangerine solid (133), Med Rust solid (230), Scarlet solid (209), and Dark/Med Tangerine shaded (009). The bullions were worked in 10 to 20 wraps.

The picot stitched leaves were worked in Caron Wildflowers cotton, single strand, Spearmint (257). As I worked I twisted and stitched (at the top) each of the leaves.

The pebbles and seed sitches under the picot worked leaves were done in single strand Stranded Cotton Rustic Brick purchased from the Di van Niekerk website. The pebbles were worked in elgonated French Knots.

For this flower I plan to add a spider and web when I near completion of this worked piece.