Beautiful, but Deadly - Sumptuous Surfaces (3) - Texture

Here are my starfish so far. I have used Perle threads and beads to give an encrusted knobbly look. I am pleased with the result and think that I have got the starfishy look. I looked at lots of photos on the web to try and make them scientifically accurate.
I didn't realise that using the perle threads would make them sparkle in the light - so they look quite glamorous! Sadly you can't see this in the photo. (Maybe even beautiful, but deadly!)


The Australian CSIRO have several pictures of the real Asterias amurensis. I have tried to copy the tube feet, patterns on their back and the knobbly lumps (beads and drizzle stitches). They range in colour from creamy yellows to purple. As we are working in monotones, I have kept to yellowy/cream colours. I am also pleased that the palestrina stitch has conveniently turned up at the tips - as this is a distinguishing feature of this seastar.

The background stitches are different sizes and layers of cretan stitch and then the gaps have been filled with seed beads and
drizzle stitches and the odd french knot.

Now - what to do with the background, so that they look out of place...





This is what the real ones look like:
CSIRO picture
Museum of Victoria Picture

Starfish

I am still working on the Sumptuous Surfaces project. This is my progress to date.

I have started my edges and low relief work. My design has changed slightly - I took out my third little starfish as I realised that it wouldn't leave me any room to put in the seafloor and sea shells etc.

I've used gold organza outlined with palestrina stitch (hopefully to look like the suckers/feet under the starfish). I plan to add some stitches to show the patterns on the backs too and drizzle stitches to show the spiny bits - probably next week now.

The background is cretan stitch in crewel wool. I decided not to pull the stitches, after an experiment, as I prefered the smoothness of the standard stitch.

I'm not sure what to put around the border of the post card. I've looked at a few wools/threads - but so far none has looked right. I may have to buy something new, but I thought I'd wait until I have stitched some more.



There are some lovely pieces of work in the group and I'm really looking forward to see how everyone's work is developing next week.

TAST Palestrina Stitch

I really loved Palestrina stitch. I started it the week it was set - but wasn't inspired. I was away on holiday with just boring plain felt and couldn't get going. It wasn't until I got back and saw this piece of fabric I printed with wrought iron swirls that I suddenly saw a way forward! I really have to have the right background before I can move forward and get inspired with a stitch. It makes all the difference for me. Somehow the fabric tells me what stitch would set it off the best!!

The background fabric is a bought blue, slightly mottled, cotton. It has blue and red wrought iron swirls printed on it and also a henna hand print shape. You can see the fingers and thumb if you look closely. I'll post a pic another time. It is from a template for doing henna hand designs and I got it at an art exhibition called Goddess, here in Sydney, last year.

Below is a close up, because I just loved the texture and shapes in this section!