Heart Wreath Commission

I am rather chuffed (and a  little nervous) about this commission as it isn't my usual style but as I was asked so nicely by a family friend, I instantly agreed to give it a go. I have probably told you before, but this is destined to be a special Christmas gift for my client's Goddaughter who got married earlier this year. As a wedding present, a heart shaped wreath full of white and yellow roses, ivy leaves and Gypsophila was given to hang on the front door as the flowers matched those in the wedding bouquets, and for Christmas a version of this wreath is being given to stand the test of time and be a reminder of a special day. I'm hoping it is a close match to the real wreath as I've only seen a photo a couple of times so it's mostly from memory.

The backing cloth is a lovely linen fabric in a light stone colour which really brought out the green ivy leaves. The leaves themselves were all individually cut, and I used Bondaweb (double sided adhesive) to iron the leaves in place whilst I blanket stitched around the edges, and added whip stitch definition.

Over the top of the ivy, I stitched bullion knot roses, having previously experimented with which way round the colours should go- light to dark, dark to light, mixed tones.... I also had a go at some rose buds by stitching half circle bullions. These took ages to finish!

Next came the Gypsohila. I started by drawing swirly lines on the back of the embroidery and followed the lines with whip stitch. I find it easier when wanting to create a nice swirl to draw it on first as I can never seem to get the same quality of line when just stitching straight on. The little beads are a fun addition and I think they really make the piece stand out. At the end of each swirled line there is a cluster of five beads, and I've popped a few groupings of three along longer lines to give more of a cloud effect.

The hardest part was knowing where to stop stitching! There are still areas that I look at and think, 'oh I could put a Gysophila stem in here, or perhaps another rose in this section' but if I put too much in I think it will become too cluttered so I have left it as it is and hope that others will think the same. Whilst stretching it over the mountboard, I have also added a layer of batting underneath to help pad out of the chunky knots on the back as the fabric weave is more open than usual. It just helps with any lumps and bumps that may be hiding underneath the embroidery (top tip for ribbon work as well as it supports the ribbon knots).

So now it is all framed up and waiting to be collected and given away for Christmas!