Category Archives: Japanese embroidery

Dragon belly and swords

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Hannah

Progress report: I picked out gold silks for the belly instead of suggested candy-can striping. I think it’s a good compromise between not out-sparkling the horns while still standing out against the scales. I worked up another patch of waves. … Continue reading →

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Dragon Scales: Part 3

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Hannah

I finished the scales and spikes on the first segment! Plus I added some details, like the red around the snaggle tooth. This dragon only has one tooth – he stabs you once and then gums you to death. There’s now … Continue reading →

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Dragon Scales: Part 2

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Hannah

I am plugging away on the scales and spikes. The play of the light between the various silk colors and the metallic threads is really flashy. All the under stitching and padding gives the edges a raised effect, so the … Continue reading →

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Dragon Waves: Part 1 of Lots

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Hannah

So in today’s post I update y’all on the progress of the waves! I am couching down lots of silver thread and will soon be overstitching splashes in various parts of the ocean. This work was inspired by the audiobook … Continue reading →

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Dragon: Crystal ball

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Hannah

The crystal ball looked small and quick but it turned out to be a multi-stage process. All the talons were stitched first, then a foundation layer of flat silk in solid colors. Then all the boundaries and the flat silk had … Continue reading →

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Dragon Scales: Part 1

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Hannah

I added a second horn and a whole lot of scales and spikes. At the top right you can see that before stitching each scale or spike I have to outline first so the edges are padded and have a … Continue reading →

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Dragon Tooth

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Hannah

This dragon has a gold tooth now. But only one! He’ll gum you to death. Then I worked away on the waves at the bottom. They’re all in silver. I’m about to reach the splashes at the top now. They … Continue reading →

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Dragon: Start!

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Hannah

What did I start next? A dragon! This one is also from Midori Matsushima. (I’ve been taking classes for it with Mary Alice at Bluebonnet Studio). It has a variety of multicolored metal threads and silks. I love all the whiskers … Continue reading →

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Gold Cranes: Finished

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Hannah

The tail feathers on the second crane came out smoother. Those tight turns are a little tricky, even with tweezers. Then I stitched the puddle in. It’s called fuzzy effect, I think, because you don’t place the lines exactly next … Continue reading →

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Gold Cranes: Couching in Circles

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Hannah

So, my next project (as announced in the last post) was this pair of cranes. They’re couched metallic thread. You start at the outside with a pair of threads (not true gold in this case) attached to spools and couch … Continue reading →

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