Decorating the Topiary (with Kreinik)

Looking back on the blog posts here, I see that I've been playing with this thing since December 24! I'm still playing, but it's beginning to be interesting now.

An experiment, it is - but I'm learning the variables of working with the Kreinik on it as I embellish. Be sure to go to Freebies, etc. to see the new metallic "Hot Wire" that Kreinik now has - a new thing. I found it just when I needed it for embellishment trials here.

Anyway - back to the decorating. For the lower swag, I used #12 Holographic 002, and it's quite showy in the "heavy chain" I found at PINTANGLE in Sharon B's stitch dictionary.

Incidentally, I don't remember if I've shown this picture before or not - the arrows are pointing to my mistakes in not stitch counting symmetrically on these two swags. They are supposed to look horizontal when the tree is made into a cone, but they should have been perfectly centered - like the bottom. So far, I've hidden this effect with a generic sillk ribbon flower.

Also, I was able, since stitch drawing that bottom swag symmetrically, I was able to do the chain stitch without tent stitching the line first - much easier, and of course less time consuming.

I realize I seem to be jumping around a bit here, but this is how I've developed it so far - just a little at a time to try out special effects.

The Feather Stitch put down first makes a great background - pretty but understated - for whatever decides to come next. This, too, is on Pintangle in the Stitch Dictionary.
















I made this bottom shot with a bit of sunlight on it, as it was suppose to show the Holographic heavy chain - it's beautiful in person. The Feather Stitches Kreinik 002 #4 braid) were deliberately made to be irregular, but basically as perpindicular as possible to the chain so that they will be positioned correctly when the tree is made into a cone.

Recently, I saw somewhere a charming little ornament frame made with twisted DMC Memory Thread - so had to try it with the Kreinik metallic. It was more difficult to twist, due to the texture of the metallic covering, but I did find a splendid use for it - little candly canes! Here is a picture of a short length of it twisted as cording - you can see this on the other blog, as well as a candy cane (peppermint) made of three cords.
This is how it looks at the top now - I'll let it rest for a day or two.

A New Silk Ribbon Rose (from Downunder)

While cruising around on my morning "visits," I went to PINTANGLE as always, and found directions to a delightful tutorial from Queensland. This blog has been on my "list" for some time, but I haven't gone there daily, so would have missed it.

Shirley, of Shirleys Twisted Threads is a delightful and talented lady, whose text I enjoy as much as her projects and pictures. This new kind of silk ribbon rose is her own invention, and she offers it as a tribute to Sharon Boggon, who has inspired us and taught so many of us so much.

I will have to go to Sharon's stitch dictionary and brush up a bit on my stitches, as this one involves a sort of "twisted chain stitch" that I don't remember how to do right now. It's actually simple, but I'm rusty at some of this. I especially enjoy doing surface embellishment on top of stitched needlepoint, and silk ribbon embroidery is almost "instant gratification."

Anyway, you can get the traveling directions to the tutorial by going to Pintangle, or go directly to STITCHIN' FINGERS to see it. It's delightful, and well worth the time.

Silk Ribbon Enhancement for Needlepoint!

I'm happy to say that I now have permission to show pictures from this beautirful blog again! It's a "freebie" site, and the work is of a quality rarely seen these days.

I enjoy using silk ribbon for surface enhancement on needlepoint, and there are some techniques and effects here I've never seen.

Now to go design something to use them on!! Maybe my new angels?? A new project can certainly lift the spirits - good for the soul.

Do go visit this blog - it's worth an hour or so of browsing, as it includes other types of needlework as well, and the patterns are free for downloading.

I've mentioned it before on both blogs, but if you missed it - go to NEEDLE CRAFTS, and for silk ribbon, click at the top on "ribbon silk embroidry." There are several beautifully done and easy to follow tutorials.

Nature and Inspiration: Wildflowers in Silk Ribbon

I find the most amazing things when going through old files - and I mean OLD ones. I was trying to force myself to discard old patterns and pictures that haven't seen daylight in at least ten years - and found this photo.

I stitched the egg about 12 years ago when I was first working with silk ribbon. I was enchanted with the "instant gratification" thing, and looked to nature for most of my insipiration. In this case, it was the Texas wildflowers in glorious bloom during a spring when it had actually rained enough.

I was painting accessories for the gift shop at the National Wildflower Research Center just outside Austin, and took my own photos for the painting - so used them also when attempting to replicate the effect in silk ribbon.

First - the Texas bluebonnets. I have been looking at this flower my entire life, as I was born here in Austin - but I never really saw the little bit of magenta on some of the petals, and didn't know how actually purple the blue flowers are until I started looking up close as I was mixing some paint to match.

I had learned silk ribbon stitches and techniques from a well illustrated book - so working out the different flowers, leaves, and grasses myself, was quite entertaining and sometimes enlightening.

The grass behind the flowers is just a generic grass and fills out the composition.

The red Drummond's Phlox is planted at the Wildflower Center next to the bluebonnets in one of the beds with a very lovely effect. This isn't one of my photos - the phlox is actually much darker, as the silk ribbon I used on the egg.

The little yellow Huisache Daisy was the perfect addition to this composition. I'm sure many of you have had a grandmother who gardened, and told you that a little touch of yellow always finishes the bouquet or the flower bed itself. This is so true. "the finishing touch." These were really easy to replicate.

Anyway, one should learn stitches and techniques and use them to create individual pieces - it's much more rewarding than just doing what everyone else is doing. Look to nature for inspiration, as it's an incredible source.

The background of the egg was, of course, stitched before the ribbon embroidery was done. It's a simple light blue lattice with basketweave white - and a bead placed where the diagonal lines intersect. ( I was just starting to use beads also).

Silk Ribbon Embroidery - a different twist!

I took a little bit of time this morning and treated myself to another cruise through Needle Crafts. If you click on "silk ribbon embroidery" - or something like that - on the list of topics under the header, you will see some techniques that are different from the "norm" we usually see.

There are even dragonflies and butterflies and a few flowers I haven't seen before - enchanting! Also, the other patterns and tutorials are amazing. I have no picture here, as I couldn't communicate to get one to show.

I've used silk ribbon in three different widths for about 12 years - for surface embellishment on stitched needlepoint designs. It's almost instant gratification, and a very creative endeavor, once one "gets the hang" of handling the ribbon and making the stitches.

On this blog this morning, I saw the solution to one dilemma I had had with a particular flower - this is good! I used the SR embroidery extensively on my "birthday crazy quilts" in needlepoint, and it's easy to get carried away sometimes. A most rewarding form of needlework!

Silk Ribbon for April

According to my Kodak albums, I didn't finish this until June of last year, so didn't use it for the Freebies, Etc. header - or maybe Freebies didn't exist yet. I don't remember. (a common complaint these days.)

Anyway - I do remember procrastinating, and consulting several books on the subject, but couldn't find sweet peas - so, once again, consulted what was growing in the garden, I think - or pictures of someone's garden - and created my own.


Anyway - the flowers and jewel for April (diamonds) are represented here, and my older daughter loves the fact that her husband has an April birthday, so he may give her diamonds in his own honor. The instructions for this sweet pea are under "birthday crazy quilts" on the side bar.

This is also available at Elegant Whimsies as either a painted canvas, or as an e-pattern for creating your own.

While on the subject of silk ribbon - I also found this ancient picture, dating from when I was playing with ornament shapes to practice and learn new - and also very old stitches from my 70's books - on simple cookie cutter shapes.


The tree on the left shows swags of silk ribbon flowers with beads in the background. The tree on the right is a combination of stitches from a very old and out of print book that was one of the best of that era - I really enjoy playing with this one, as the color combinations are endless.


I believe these two trees were finished by Vikki Pinson, and are used in a display on small dowels on little wooden platform pedestals - very effective for a forest of trees on a mantel - might even vary the sizes and shapes!!


The tree ornament shapes are from my e-book "ornament shapes II." (Elegant Whimsies)

Wildflowers in Silk Ribbon

It's strange what falls out of old files when I'm looking for something I did years and years ago. This scan of a photograph dates back about 12 years to when I was busy "interpreting" nature with silk ribbon embroidery.

I had been painting accessories for the National Wildflower Research Center (Lady Bird Johnson's finest achievement), and had hundreds of photos I had taken during different seasons. Great pictures to work from when designing needlepoint.

Anyway, this egg is gone - I have no idea what happened to it, but I apparently photographed the canvas before it went to the finisher. The bluebonnets have the little touches of magenta that one sees on the flower - did you know that bluebonnets are actually quite purple? I had no idea, and I'm a native, until I started mixing paint, using real flowers to get the color right. Incredible! They look so blue en masse out in the field. The little red flowers are Drummond's Phlox, which the Wildflower Center had planted in a bed full of bluebonnets - and the yellow ones are Huisache Daisies.

This was a fun exercise in silk ribbon, as I remember, so think I might try it again. It's already starting to get hot here, but we've had enough rain that the wildflowers out there should be glorious this year. They don't last long, but it's an incredible sight out in the fields. Bluebonnets bloom along with the Indian Paintbrush, (which I never did in silk ribbon). As River Silks hadn't been "invented" yet, on this egg I used Thread Gatherer overdyed ribbon for the foliage, and YLI ribbon for the flowers.

While things are still blooming in the early spring - do go outside and walk and really SEE the leaves and flowers, and think how you might do them on needlepoint in Silk Ribbon!

Silk Ribbon Flowers for October (Marigolds)

I believe "Calendulas" is the correct name for these flowers, but I've always called them "marigolds." By any name - they're awfully pretty.

This is one of the "Crazy for Birthdays" series, stitched for October last year - with the opals included! That one was fun, and I think I have a description of how it was achieved under the label on the side for Birthday Crazy Quilts or something.

Anyway, I studied not only the real thing growing in the flower bed, but looked at a lot of pictures, as that seems to be the most efficient way of replicating the "look" of flowers in silk ribbon.

I used 4mm ribbon for these, as the petals aren't quite as fine as the asters for September - on which I used 2mm ribbon. The little centers are made with French knots and Soy Luster.

Creating with silk ribbon for surface enhancement is almost instant gratification, and one only needs to learn to handle the ribbon - it's qualities and limitations. Just a few basic stitches are all I've found necessary to make flowers that at least resemble what I wanted - and it's great fun to study leaves and flowers, vines, etc. outside, and figure out how to do them in silk ribbon. I even did a series of Texas Wildflowers several years ago! (can't find them now)

Silk Ribbon Embroidery: Flowers on a New Site

Just cruising around this morning, I found this wonderful/beautiful site via Sharon B's Pintangle! Tutorials in detail on making gorgeous silk ribbon flowers. Do go take a look at Carol Daisy on SILK RIBBON EMBROIDERY.

Silk Ribbon Flowers

The art quilters love silk ribbon flowers too, and Allison Aller is showing this gorgeous new book on her blog as of yesterday. I've already tracked it down and ordered it, as it's easier for me to have the instructions rather than working it out myself -

Those nasturtiums are sooo beautiful!! Anyway, if you aren't a regular visitor at her blog, do go there and take a look. I visit there regularly, as I get a lot of good inspiration for needlepoint design by storing the images in my head (and in my picture file, with her permission, of course). Allie's in Stitches

Silk Ribbon & Crazy Quilt: A Heart for August

I finished this last night, except for the beads, but Google was tired and wouldn't let me post the photos of the details of the white flowers.

Looking at it this morning, I'm not totally happy with these posies, and may take them out and do it again. One of my pictures had some little white generic looking flowers, and that touch was perfect to "cool off" the bright warm colors of the Glads. I have a different effect in mind, but still using the white flowers.
The first thing to do was to place the flower petals where they should go - and these are simply straight stitches with 4mm white silk ribbon.

I usually, for attempting good symmetry, make three in the form of a "fly stitch" and then fill in the gaps with three more. - Perfect symmetry wouldn't look hand made, so fortunatey, I'm a bit clumsy at it, a they are far from perfect. It's a good idea, always, to use a trolley needle or #18 tapestry needle under one petal while the next one is being made, to avoid pulling it all the way down and causing it to be skinny and disapper.












The illustration demonstrates the ease of making a simple flower petal - there are five here, but I like the look of six or more when using 4mm ribbon, unless a specific variety is being done.




This detail of the beading in progress also shows the centers and leaves of the white flowers. Centers are made with one ply of Soy Luster in yellow - two wrap French knots, and then on green one in the center.


The beading detail is to show how much difference the beads make in dressing up the "fabric" of this patch. You can see where the spaces are in comparison to the part already beaded. I used Sundance size 14 beads with a faint greenish tinge. My first thought had been to use peridot green beads, but that would have been very distracting with the chain of jewels that is the seam treatment. Orange beads wouldn't do either.


The ones I used here are from the category "silver lined" (which you can find on their web page), as they gleam and shine, but don't sparkle or glitter - an effect I like very much. Nothing here should sparkle but the Peridots!

My daughter had a party yesterday for the birthday of her Mother-in-Law, in addition to celebrating Father's Day - so here is a vase of flowers I found in the living room this morning. Good timing??

August CQ: Sword Lily in Silk Ribbon

"Sword Lily" sounds very exotic, but I had always known this flower as Gladiola, which I've just learned is the botanical, and not the common name. It's the flower for the month of August - and I have procrastinated for nearly a year finishing this one.

I was as intimidated by this one as I was the sweet peas for April. I had sent the picture - the one that is almost hidden, to Jean at River Silks, and she was wonderful at choosing the colors for me - really beatiful!! The 7mm was what was required to get the effect I wanted, but it's always a surprise when they take on a character of their own - usually not what I intended.

Anyway, armed with these photos and my beautiful ribbon, I started about two days ago to embellish and enhance with SRE. On this one, as well as the April birthday heart, I won't say it was "instant gratification," as I struggled a bit with the flowers to make them work.

The background patches have been finished since the end of last July, but I hadn't done the seam treatments yet - so that had to be accomplished. In this case, they needed to be simple and not compete with the brilliant colors of the flowers. The chain of peridots is quite effective, I think. (my daughter's birthstone).

















To begin the embroidery, the leaves for the flowers had to be done first - in 4mm green ribbon. I used the Japanese ribbon stitch, which was shown before on the sweet peas, but in this case, instead of leaving the small loop at the top, it was pulled all the way through to produce a folded, very sharp end on the leaf. I spaced the leaves, as I wanted to use three shades of green, inserting them between the dark ones, which were done first.

Next, the gladiolus flowers! I started at the bottom with the 7mm ribbon, and made big, loose 3 wrap French knots, pulling them progressively a little tighter as they went toward the top. The arrows point to the unopened buds at the top of the "spear." Against the blue patch, I had already made Fly Stitch around each little bud - you can see where the other arrow points how it looked before Fly stitch. Soy Luster was used for this - 2 plies. It's soft, flexible, and so great for this purpose.

The next detail photo shows the flowers completed.
This is enough for tonight. I'm almost finished with the little white "field flowers" that were needed on the lower orange/pink patch - and I've also begun putting beads on the yellow patch, and almost finished with that - tomorrow maybe!

A Cross with Silk Ribbon Flowers

This isn't a good picture, but a photo of a picture I took several years before I had a digital camera. I may have shown it on a long ago post, but thought since the subject has been silk ribbon flowers, I'd show it again. Anyway, it was when I first began playing with silk ribbon and exploring the possibilities for surface embellishment.

I don't like wasting time and materials, so devised a few useful shapes to teach myself. This was after learning the stitches from Judith Baker Montano's book "Art and Inspirations" - which was the first of her books I purchased.

Also, I was working on different ways to use beads, as incorporated into the body of the needlepoint, rather than just as accents. You can see them at the intersections where the "lattice work" crosses.

I have found making silk ribbon flowers to be almost instant gratification (sweet peas are the exception) - and these are just very very simple ones: spider web roses and French knots, with a few straight stitch "forget-me-nots." Also, Japanese ribbon stitch is used to make the blue buds on the trailing vine.

The flowers are, of course, added after the background is stitched. Beads are added last, but the places for them are left bare during the stitching. Click on the picture to enlarge it, and you will see these details quite clearly.

Diamonds and Sweet Peas for April

The diamonds are made with beads, and the flowers are silk ribbon. I made the fly stitch vine on the blue patch with Soy Luster - and am really pleased with the look of the matte thread on the shiny Smokey Blue ribbon floss. Looking at the photo I just made, I see where one more leaf needs to be added - but not tonight. This is FINISH. All done!

The Sweet Pea vine is just too busy and exuberant for the CQ design to have any more surface embellishment.

The detail is to show how nicely the different textures of the threads, along with the silk ribbon flowers and sparkly beads, blend for an interesing, but fairly simple design. The white patch (see above picture) is made with DMC pearl cotton, as I wanted it to resemble a wall for the pea vine to climb.

This piece will be on my web page after I get the instructions written up (the hard part - bummer) both as an e-pattern for people who want to draw their own, and as a package with the painted canvas ready to work.

The Enemy of Perfection: Silk Sweet Peas

One of my favorite quotes of all time was from the movie "Beau Brummel" when I was young and impressionable - about Beau Brummel, friend of George III of England. When being outfitted in that first tuxedo he created, he told his tailor, "Haste is the enemy of perfection."

I was looking at these silk ribbon sweet peas this morning, and thinking maybe I should have practiced a bit after I figured out how to do them - as this is one flower I haven't seen done before. However, if I had practiced and made them better, they wouldn't be "hand made" but would start looking like the machine made things.
I do love the charm of hand stitched as opposed to the regularity of machine generated embroidery.

I have to do this bit by bit, and then put it away for a few hours and look at it again to be able to tell what it needs next. I think a few more leaves, and it will be done except for whatever I decide to do on that blue patch on the left - has to be simple so as not to compete with all those dancing sweet peas.
The detail is showing the little curly thing that will attach the vine to whatever wall it's climbing on. This is just a simple back stitch made with 4plies of Splendor silk. I just kind of "drew" it with needle and thread - improvising. This is part of what is so enjoyable about surface embellishment with silk ribbon flowers!!

I've been out taking pictures of a few flowers I found in the neighborhood - Austin is already baking from heat and lack of rain, so I wanted to get what I could find so I can try to re-invent them in silk ribbon. I already figured out how to replicate the crepe myrtles, which have amazing tolerance for Texas weather.

A Mutant Pea Vine in Silk Ribbon

I have a better shot now of the placement of the needle in the center of the ribbon to make the Japanese ribbon stitch. Also, had an AHA! moment this morning when I wasn't so tired, and realized that putting a size 20 tapestry needle in the loop made it lie a lot flatter than the trolley needle, which is a size 18 or larger needle.
Also, by just using the tapestry needle, I could leave it in the loop until I was finished pulling on the ribbon. It looks so much better, that I pulled out the ugly one I made last night. You can see where the arrow is how much better it looks.


I won't point out ALL of the botanical errors on this, as maybe nobody will notice that the buds are larger than the flowers, or that the sweet pea blossoms aren't hanging in clusters. It's only needlepoint, after all, and it has limitations.

I'm hoping that they at least resemble sweet peas by power of suggestion - since diamonds are the birthstone for April, and the beads do rather glitter and sparkle. (Sundance size 14, #250 hex beads, crystal clear) It has a long way to go, but I'm trying to be patient and not force it. I'm looking at three print-outs on my table as I go that I found in Google images of sweet peas on their vines.

I'm beginning to "see" July in my head finally. It's my birth month, as well as five other people in my immediate family. I didn't want to make it the usual red, white, and blue with stars and firecrackers - as the flower is the lovely lotus, or "water lily" - one of Monet's favorites to paint. (out come the books again.) and the stone is the ruby. If I start on this, I can delay August and the gladiola a little longer. I finished everything but that sometime early last fall.

Sweet Peas and Silk Ribbon (for April)

I had put this thing away for a while, and didn't get it ready for April, as the sweet peas kind of had me stumped. I finally got it out again, and all the images I had printed out of sweet peas on vines - and this is what I came up with. It's a long way from being finished, but so far, I'm almost pleased with it.

I decided to make the flowers before placing the leaves and little curly-cue things that pea vines have - usually I do leaves first. Anyway, I needed to be able to make the tops flat instead of pointed, which isn't an easy task with 7mm ribbon (this is from River Silks).

Japanese ribbon stitch, without pulling the ribbon all the way down, made the top look like I wanted (almost) - and loose French knots worked well for the little trumpet shape of the blossom.

To get this flower started, the 7mm ribbon needs first a plain stitch for padding, as the ribbon wants to crunch up an make a skinny petal - then make another stitch over it, but go down with the needle right in the center of the ribbon.

The picture is terribly fuzzy, but I didn't look at it until it was too late to re-photograph. I use a trolley needle and/or a cable hook (from my knitting ) to hold the loop while I make the next stitch. Otherwise, the tiniest bit of tugging on the ribbon will pull it all the way through and ruin the stitch.


















I forgot to put up the picture of the seam treatments first - so here it is. The stitches are simple, as they mustn't, in this case, compete with the diamond chain or the sweet peas - it's a birthday crazy after all!! The buttonhole stitch above the white patch is made with Soy Luster - three plies. The white fly stitch is Kreinik #12 braid, color 032.

The Fern Stitch between the blue and green patches is Splendor silk, 4 plies. More on this in a day or two - Tomorrow is Monday, after all, and I need to paint a thing or two before I can declare "stitchin' time."

Color Inspiration and Silk Ribbon Embroidery

The first blog I ever saw a few years ago was that of an art quilter - I was looking for crazy quilts, and found what has occupied my mind since. I actually spend more time looking at these than I do on needlepoint blogs - as the inspiration and images are so wonderful.

Color schemes are particularly good on some of them, as Allison Aller's quilts - I have an entire file folder full of blocks from her quilts - with her permission, and I suspect, high amusement. She also graciously supplied me with a block to use in my very first article for Needlepoint Now, which was on adaptation and inspiration for needlepoint.

In analyzing this first picture as a color theorist, I know why the little touches of yellow and orange work so well - but it doesn't matter knowing the WHY - what matters is that it works. Allie's color sense is superb. This is the kind of thing I take to the LNS to choose silks or whatever I feel like working with (or can afford).

In the next one, the touches of blue against the orange, and the wisp of green on the right are perfect for accents. Incidentally, the butterflies are from another art quilter from Houston - Debra Spincic - who is going to have an Etsy store to sell these beauties. She makes them on her embroidery machine, and they are exquisite - the link to her is on Allison's blog, Allie's in Stitches.

The other Art Crazy Quilt/Embroidery blog I look at every morning without fail, is PINTANGLE - Sharon B.s beautiful and informative blog. So much great instruction and inspiration even for a needlepointer! She is going to start a Cyber class for Silk Ribbon Embroidery on June 18, which I wish I could find time to do (might do it anyway).

My very first experience with that was about 12 years ago when I was wanting to replace a book on Crazy Quilting - and the quilt shop sold me Judith Baker Montano's book, "Crazy Quilt Odyssey," which was full of SR - stitches and instructions. I was hooked, although I'd never seen it before, and immediately began to apply it to needlepoint. (I now own five of her books)

Sharon's work is without equal - so do go take a look if you're interested in learning, and learning it right. I call SRE my "instant gratification."

Crazy for December Finished!

It's all done, and I have to remind myself that I like the "hand made" look vs. machine - so forgive myself for some of the irregularities I couldn't avoid. Like the raised spider webs not being equally spaced. I usually do the two outside ones first, and then center the middle one - but "haste is the enemy of perfection," and I was tired and not thinking. Oh well. It's pretty.

I have really enjoyed researching the symbolism for December. The narcissus and mistletoe have been done, and now the holly: In many ancient cultures it has been a symbol of the waning solstice, which ends at the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year, when it begins to wax again. The Druids believed that the evergreen nature of the holly made it sacred, as it remains green throughout the winter and keeps the earth beautiful. Holly was used for decoration throughout homes with its being used for boughs over entrances or for wreaths on doors. This custom originated in Ireland, since holly was one of the main plants that was green and very beautiful with its red berries at this of year, and gave poor people a means of decorating their dwellings. It was also believed to give the inhabitants of such a dwelling prosperity and peace for the coming year.

As for the turquoise, throughout history and in many cultures, it has represented the earth and sky, and protection of the body and soul. For a really really interesting read on this, click on this link and enjoy! (go to "spiritual belielfs and symbolism) As this beautiful stone is found all over the planet, many cultures have spiritual symbolism attached to it.

Silk Ribbon Narcissus for December

Getting the information together about the narcissus - the birthday flower for December - has been interesting! It is pulling together things I had never really thought about before. My mother used to always force bulbs in a shallow dish she had especially for this, and it was a ritual with us to go to the garden center every year in November to buy them. They were placed on top of some aquarium gravel in a very shallow dish with water, and the timing was intended to make them sprout and bloom by about the last week in December. I never questioned the "why" of it, and she probably inherited this tradition from her mother as well. It seems that the narcissus/daffodil, as it blooms very very early in the spring - sometimes while there is still snow on the ground - has been a symbol of new life and rebirth for many cultures.


The Druids adopted it as their national flower, and regarded it as a symbol of purity.The narcissus also symbolizes self-love, from the Greek myth of the youth who fell in love with his own reflection, and was reborn as a flower after his death - so the symbolism here is the triumph of divine love and sacrifice over death, selfishness and sin. Interesting! As for why we force the bulbs to bloom at holiday time, the Chinese believed that by forcing the narcissus to bloom at the New Year, they were assured of good luck for the coming year. I had never really thought about the different shapes and colors of this flower, as Mother's bulbs always produced the very sweet smelling ones with yellow "trumpets." My grandmother, however, had what we called "paper whites" in her garden, which had tiny little white centers with no yellow at all. I looked at hundreds of images before starting with the silk ribbon, but didn't take into consideration that creating a narcissus in SR on needlepoint stitching was not easy - so this is what we have! I used the 7mm white, which had to be stitched over for each petal to make them fluffy - and then the 4mm yellow for the centers, which couldn't be made any smaller. Oh well. The effect is what counts. They are a bit messy, I think - but will pass for narcissus. I may put one or two more, but will put it away for a few days and decide when I'm not tired of looking at it.