Embroidery

Well, the Albany Agricultural Show has been and gone.  We really enjoy it, after battling the Perth Royal Show over the years, which, frankly, was a nightmare with parking, crowds, heat and cost, we find our local show just lovely.  And where else can you be, sitting on a haybale watching the bull judging, listening with interest to the judges commentary, to hear, loudly and proudly over the loudspeaker, that it was very close between these three bulls but this one will win the rosette because of his splendid testicles.  :-)

I helped out in Embroidery in the Craft section again, it's hard work and a long day, but good fun and very interesting to watch the judging.  This is Thursday morning, the day before the show.  We are receiving entries at this time of the day, carefully marking everything off so we know what is what and where is where.  After that it is the judging so we have to make sure everything is in its correct class, bring each class to the judges then make sure we have recorded correctly the placegetters.  Then we amass all the first place winners in each class for the judges to decide the Best In Show piece and runner up.  Then we take all the paperwork to the office where they pop it all into the computer and spit out place certificates.  That part takes hours as the office is inundated with paperwork from many different areas.

While we wait for the placing certificates, we work on the big muddled heap of entries, turning it into a respectable display for the public the following day.  Then the certificates come back and we have to carefully place them on the correct entries - that can be a tad stressful, because we have scattered entries around the display they aren't so easy to find to put the certificates with.  But it all got done in the end.  I was pleased, my blackwork sampler, at the back there, got a second place.

The lion's head in the middle back, was the Best In Show for Embroidery.  The judges were very taken with the amount of work and the perfect tension in the stitching.  And guess what, it was stitched by a bloke!

There were lots of beautiful pieces of work, all representing someone's efforts and tastes.  I hope visitors to the show were interested.  Sadly, visitors cannot get this close as the last thing that happens is a big fence goes up around all the exhibits, to stop stuff from being pinched. 

 This was the Best In Show for Crochet.

And the star shaped piece on yellow card was Best In Show for Lace Making.  And that little green lace worm at the front, sorry it's not very clear in the photo, won first prize in the Children's section.  It was made by a 7 year old girl, isn't she clever.

Now I have finished my blackwork I had to decide what to do next.  I love high relief and textured embroidery so I am having a go at Casalguidi.  My intent is to make my little scene like a piece of forest floor.  First thing to do was a little background of four sided stitch.  I love it, it creates cool little holes in the fabric without distorting the shape.  Next is the beginning of the casalguidi worm thing.  You tie down a heap of threads in the shape you want, then satin stitch over the entire thing to secure it and make it firm.

 Then you stitch 'foundation bars' loosely over the top of the satin stitch.

 Then you weave many many lines of stem stitch through the foundation bars with a tapestry needle. 

And it turns into this cool, lovely to stroke, worm thing!  That is going to be my 'fallen log' on the forest floor.  I have plans for tendrils, leaves and a toadstool, I have an image in my head of what I want it to look like.  It will be fun!