Creating Dimension with Threads and Stitches

Who's In Front?

Most folks would take a look at the Ladies of the Night series and want to stitch them because they are glamorous and spooky, but that wasn't really the main reason I was eager to stitch Luna--I wanted to stitch her to learn how to stitch adjacent black areas so they were distinct from each other.  To do this I am using texture (i.e., mixing metallic threads with silks and wools) and dimension (i.e., making some parts of the canvas look raised and others look flat through my stitch choices).

Take a look at Luna's hood and hair.  I wanted the fur trim to stand out a bit from her hair while the back of the hood should recede more than the hair and fur trim.  This is how things look in real life and this canvas is realistic enough that I want to mimic that look.

Her bangs (or fringe if you speak British English) should be a bit puffier than the smooth sides of her long hair.  The cloak over her shoulders should be a bit more prominent than the long black dress underneath.

I stitched French knots with wool for the fur trim, used Petite Very Velvet in tent stitches for the back of the hood and the shoulders, and choose long stitches in a mix of wool and metallics for the hair.  The bangs (or fringe) are stitched in stem stitch using Baby Alpaca (from & More) to make them look puffy and slightly raised.  The Petite Very Velvet used on the hood and shoulders was considered for the long gown but it looked too heavy and crowded, so I used it only for the exterior of the cloak and stitched the gown in Impressions (a silk/wool blend) in tent stitches instead.  I took advantage of the heavier look of PVV on the cloak after I realized it was too much for the entire long gown.

The next challenge is to make the raven perched on her elbow stand out without overwhelming the canvas.

Wish me luck!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com