Last time, I’d just sewn the felt in place.

Here is the outlining in split stitch :

I used 3 threads of DMC, because the felt was fairly high, although it was only one layer.

The act of outlining it (squishing it in towards the middle a little) made it go a bit higher).

This photo tries to show how it is sticking up :

Then to Satin Stitch :

Then to realise

• I was using the wrong thread. I was using a bright white instead of the green toned white I’d chosen. It was like a star had fallen on the canvas -  the eye was helplessly drawn to the snowdrop because it was so *bright*
• The shapes of the petals weren’t quite right

So, after a little frogging and redrawing :

This time, I used thread padding for the small sections, rather than felt. I found it to be more accurate in this case.

You are supposed to shape the felt so it lays just inside the margins of the shape.

If you do lay it to the borders of the shape, then do outlining, then do satin stitching, you end up with a shape that’s just a little bit bigger.

If you look at the first photo, you can see where a vine has been narrowed where it lays between two fragments of the right petal because of this.

Given the pieces were so small, and I had no desire to cut such particular shapes (not simple squares) “slightly smaller than the outline”, the thread padding was a lot easier.

I pierced the thread padding stitches into the middle of the split stitch outlining stitches, so the shape stayed the same size.

More Satin Stitching :

Finished the Satin Stitching :

(oh drat, fuzzy)

Instead of adding white to the edges of green ‘hoods’ in the middle I’m going to use silver passing thread – a little point to made the tip of the hood and a line up each side to make the edges. Hopefully then they will then look less like a green biohazard symbol. (They need curved edges)

I copied the green from the Medieval Flowers book – bright, hey.

I’m going to outline the edges of the petals in silver passing thread as well.

For the centre – an underlay in red (not a bright red like the book, I don’t want it to look Christmassy, even if it is the season) and then gold Lurex in a star shape on top.

I also need to put some more threads over the top of the centre of the Calendular – there is some base showing. The original threads seem to have slipped over…….