Sensu

 

Woohoo - after two years Sensu is finished! When the thread pack first arrived, I was surprised how many colours it needed but I've enjoyed using every single one. Sensu spans both phases 2 and 3 in the JEC curriculum, so it is packed full of new techniques to learn. I  learned a few additional things - such as long straight lines in couched goldwork are my arch-nemesis. I restarted the spine on the main fan seven times before I had a result I thought I could live with. I also learned that if I'm guessing where to stick my needle, it's time for a new glasses prescription. Alternatively, as I am short sighted, I could take my glasses off and get up close and personal with the fabric. There were some techniques like fuzzy and short-stitch holding I could only do without my glasses on.

 

 

 I think fuzzy was the new technique I enjoyed the most. Although I might change my mind if I have to do a whole piece in fuzzy. A technique I enjoyed returning to, was colour blending in the cord. Because Japanese Embroidery threads are twisted by the embroiderer themselves, it is possible to create threads to achieve different effects. Twisting 2 colours together allows even very different colours to be blended smoothly.

 



Another embroiderer commented that the colours look like autumn, so perhaps this was the right time of year to finish.