In these posts I want to share some of my favorite pieces, which will include wall hangings, small works, pillows, purses, and just because pieces, enjoy!

California Dreamin’

This piece was created for my book, The Embroidery Book, by C&T Publishing. The inspiration for the base were the two hand-dyed marbleized fabrics, and I used every last bit here! I cut them into strips, and pieced the remaining sections with bleached muslin fabric. I used left-over strips of a batik fabric for the binding and back. The center square, and the third row of muslin fabric is where the bulk of the embroidery stitches are worked, I love how only a bit of that fabric shows through the stitches. The stitches are worked in four skeins of perle cotton #5 and nine skeins of cotton floss, using solid and variegated colors. Vintage green glass beads were used for the accents.

Embroidery Stitches Used

• Decorative stitches: Gwen’s rose stitch, Jill’s flower stitch, lazy daisy stitch flower, French knot flower, fly stitch side-by-side, buttonhole circle stitch, barnacle stitch, whip-stitch star
• Detail stitches: French knot stitch, lazy daisy stitch, fly stitch
• Border rows: chain stitch, French knot stitch

Happy Stitching to You! Christen

PS: If you wish to see more of my work, check out the Gallery section.