Back to work on Hiogi

 After an end of summer hiatus, it is back to Hiogi. I have finished the teal tassel, and am feeling quite pleased about that one too. Cords and tassels are now complete and it is on to finishing snowflakes and the cherry blossoms on the peach coloured cloud.

I am not loving the cherry blossoms in mettallic. I have decided to stop pulling out the petals as I go but am stitching each petal with a separate piece of thread so that when they are all done I can pull out just the ones that I hate the most, and try to stitch them better. Some of the petals are starting to look acceptable, but no pictures to share yet.

I have completed 'Toadstools' by Alison Cole in the past month, for fun. This was a workshop sponsored by Virtual Threads. Chipping is boring to do but the effect is just right. It is at the framer, and I haven't decided what to do with it once it returns. It might be a Christmas gift for a family member, no idea which one.

I am also working on 'Metalwork Squirrel' by Becky Hogg. This is good practice for the goldwork part of Hiogi, especially the circular couching. This is another Virtual Threads workshop. Becky Hogg, formerly an instructor at the Royal School of Needlework, has a lovely line of metalwork projects, mostly birds. I have the Heron kit set aside to work on at some point to. Her instructions are really clear and pretty much guarentee a delightful finish, and learning experience. Each piece is designed to be mounted in a four inch hoop for display when finished, so they are quick illustrations of various metalwork techniques.