Pel/Laurel Medallion for a coronation cloak

Diary of a piece

It all started with an email. My Laurel* who now lives in Tennessee emailed to the East Kingdom embroidery guild looking for people to help with a project for a former Easterner who had just become Princess -- motifs for coronation garb.  Naturally, I said I'd help.  As often happens, the response was 'well, actually....'  and the next thing I knew I was on deck to make one of the medallions to go on her cloak -- a pelican in her piety surrounded by a laurel leaf (Her Majesty is a member of both high orders).  The cloak was worn this past weekend at her Coronation, so this post may now go out.  It's long, being a day to day log of my work on the stitching.

But first, here is the finished piece

 and here it is having been mounted

The one on the other side was done by my apprentice sister, Valerie Renfro.  Her Majesty has reported liking them, and I am pleased as anything to have been able to participate in this project.

More-or-less daily log
(these posts were written on or near their dates).

As I was beginning this project, there was a discussion of "how long" embroidery projects take.   Thus, this post was born.  It's a long one, settle in.  I worked on it daily, recording that day's progress, and thoughts on the project.

7/25/15 Trip to Fireside to select colors (1st trip).  The green is very close to one of the natural dye greens I used on Asa's cloak.  The three beige/grays for the Pelican.  That peachy pink for the beak, but I'm thinking something else will be better, have to look.  The silver braid for the front of the nest, with the brown for the inside.  Thinking there will be some color changes before we're through.

7/12/15  Silk and backing fabric pressed, design transferred (two medallions, I'm stitching one), mount on stretcher bars, first stitches.  Discover the lack of contrast in the white/grays. 1 hour. This photo is of the fabric with the design transferred -- this is the one going to another person to do.  Running total 1 hour

7/13/15  First few leaves, begin pelican. 2 hours.  Failed to take pictures of today's work. Running total 3 hours.

7/14/15

7/14/15  Search stash for another grey (10 minutes), test that grey, first stitches of the darker gray. Put in brain to check if the darker gray feathers will need to have some outlining/definition (25 minutes)  Will the now middle grey work for that?  (Evening) More of the darker gray (30 minutes). Running total 4 hours 5 minutes

7/15/15

7/15/15  A few minutes stitching between arriving at work and going in to the office (12 minutes); a few more while waiting in the doctor's office (40 minutes) Running total 4 hours 45 minutes

7/16/15

7/16/15 A nice evening stitch time. A little more of those top feathers and started the long tail feather. As I work on the darker gray feathers, I find myself leaning more towards wanting to put some definition in, but I will wait until it is done and I see how it all looks together. (1 hour 20 minutes) Running total 6 hours 5 minutes.

7/17/15

7/17/15 A little bit of stitching over lunch (15 minutes), then a nice stitching session in the evening (2.5 hours).  Tail coming along nicely and should be done with one more good session. As I work, I find I'm getting better at changing the individual feathers enough that they look different. Running total 8 hours 50 minutes. 

7/18/15

7/18/15 Back to Fireside for more of that dark gray, and some black (how can I be out of black!?)  Got a better color for the beaks too. About an hour total stitching this day. Finished the grey feathers. While at Fireside, I got a darker grey yet to add some definition to the feathers with a little top stitching. (2 hours) Running total 10 hours 50 minutes.

7/19/15

7/19/15 Two times of stitching today, total stitching today 2 hours 15 minutes. Body of the Pelican well along. There's that little middle section of feather that I'm still mulling. Running total 13 hours 5 minutes.

7/20/15 Just one hour, and no photo.  Not much more to say each day other than stitching along.  And, of course the embarrassing fact that I changed the direction I originally meant to go on the one section.  Running total 14 hours 5 minutes.

7/21/15

7/21/15  2 hours stitching. Body and contrast middle done, testing of the highlighting for the feathers. Photo shows yesterday's progress as well as today.  Running total 16 hours 5 minutes

7/22/15

7/22/15  2 hours stitching. Babies done, including their beaks. Before the beaks were added, they looked like blobs, but now they're little baby birds. Running total 18 hours 5 minutes.


7/23/15 No stitching.

7/24/15

7/24/15 2 hours stitching (this seems to be developing into my pattern). Main beak done, detail on all the dark gray tail feathers done.  I think I see a whole blog post in the way that worked.  The darkest gray I used does not contrast that much with the gray of the feathers, but it gives the visual cues needed to see it as individual feathers rather than just a big blob of grey.  Running total 20 hours 5 minutes

7/25/15

7/25/15 Two one hour sessions.  On to the leaves while we work out the final decisions about the nest.
Running total 22 hours 5 minutes

7/26/15

7/26/15 One hour 20 minutes. More leaves.  Discussion is on going about the browns for the nest.  So close. Running total 23 hours 25 minutes.

7/27/15  No stitching this day.

7/28/15 Two hours stitching -- more leaves.  No photo. Running total 25 hours 25 minutes

7/29/15 One hour -- yet more leaves, very close to half done the wreath.  Running total 26 hours, 25 minutes.

7/30/15 One hour, more leaves, no picture.  Yup, reached the repetitive part. Running total 27 hours 25 minutes

7/31/15 One hour 30 minutes.  The wreath is half done.  Here's a picture!  Also, today purchased what I hope is the last color of thread.  Running total 28 hours 55 minutes

7/31/15

8/1/15 Only about 30 minutes today, tied up with a bunch of other stuff and when I had stitching time I kind of crashed.  No photo.  Running total 29 hours 25 minutes. A couple good sessions and the wreath will be done. 

8/2/15 2 hour 20 minutes. Getting very close.  No photo again. Running total 31 hours 45 minutes.

8/3/15

8/3/15 30 minutes.  Just a tiny bit of the wreath to finish.  Running total 32 hours 15 minutes

8/4/15 No stitching

8/5/15

8/5/15 1 hour 30 minutes.  Wreath done, darker portion of the nest begun. Got out beads today.   Running total 33 hours 45 minutes.

8/6/15

8/6/15 1 hour 40 minutes.  Inside of nest done, bead blood drops done.  At first I stitched the beads on with the light grey and kind of randomly -- that was totally wrong, so I carefully removed them and put them on in more ordered rows with the dark brown. Blood drops indeed. Now I just need the thread I ordered for the outside of the nest. Running total 35 hours  25 minutes.

8/7-29 Waiting for the missing thread.  Got some on 8/15, but was working on another project with an earlier deadline.

8/30.  FINISHED.  4 hours 4 minutes.  Makes the total 39 hours 29 minutes.

*For those not in the SCA, "My Laurel" is the woman to whom I am apprenticed.  Email me and we can talk more about the SCA.