Incoming Tide

This one happened in something of a flurry! I started it in the afternoon of Studio Saturday and completed it Sunday evening!! It's only a little one, stitched in a 15cm hoop, and is so cute with its snazzy beach hut. The name, if you haven't guessed already, is Incoming Tide.

I'm not quite sure what made me bring this one to life. It was one of those, spur of the moment, must-come-out-of-brain things and the fabrics sort of fell in the hoop... sort of. I loved the chance to use my beautiful ocean print fabric which is complete with frothing sea spray and deep blue waves. There is something quite delicious about the first cut into a new fat quarter (or even one you have been hoarding for a while waiting for the right 'scape to put it in). I liken the feeling to opening a new book and turning the first page, or walking out of the door to the smell of freshly cut grass. It's that sort of feeling.

I've covered part of the sea print with fat straight stitches, overlapping each other in two shades of deep blue. I really like how these criss cross over each other, creating satin waves that do almost appear to shimmer. The bubbly sea horses are my favourite, French knots!

I also really love the beach hut. The fabrics really lent themselves beautifully to be stitched on. The red crosshatching of the body of the hut have been embellished with the finest straight stitches (amazing how different this versatile stitch looks depending on the weight the thread and how it is put together with another stitch). The triangular print fabric also has very fine straight stitches following the line of the beige triangles, and I really don't think it needed any more than that- well, maybe the door knob!
The roof of the hut has been edged first in coral stitch, and then the top stitches gone over again with pekinese stitch to help make it stand out slightly from the green background. I forgot how much I like pekinese stitch, and it looks even better than usual going around the knot of the coral stitch! Must remember to try this one again.

I was channelling thoughts of Sea Pinks into my token floral display, although I think Sea Pinks are actually diddy little things, not like my tall wavy flowers. These are made up of the tiniest fly stitches in two shades of pink- they look almost like little bows don't they? Of course, this stitchscape is missing the trademark bullion knot flowers, but I think they would have been too much here. The fly stitch flowers are delicate and unassuming, letting the eye be drawn to the sea and the beach hut, which is what it is all about really.

It's amazing how quickly the layers build up in this size of hoop. I might stick to 15cm hoops for a little while and see what else I can create before my next upcoming show at Bridge Cottage in Uckfield on Saturday 8th July. Imagine a display full of tiny little stitchscapes! Now that sounds cute.