| Wild Herbs |
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House Leek
This embroidery was inspired by the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. This design is the ultimate concept of perfecting the picot. Complementary, textured stitches add to the dimensional success of the picture. The finished piece is approximately 30cm x 40cm.
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Artichoke
This embroidery was inspired by the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. Perfect picots with stumpwork leaves and very fine bullions create the thistle effect of the artichoke bloom. The finished piece is approximately 30cm x 40cm.
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Indigenous South African Plants
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Blombos
Metalasia muricata (Blombos) is a dune shrub indigenous to the Southern Cape seaboard and a member of the "fynbos" family. This design combines free-style stitchery, textured threads and traditional threads. The finished piece is approximately 50cm x 40cm.
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Bloukeurboom
The finished piece is approximately 50cm x 40cm. The Bloukeurboom is an exquisite flowering tree-shrub found mainly in the Southern Cape. The lilac/blue flowers and fine foliage lend themselves to interpretation in organza ribbon and textured threads.
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Restios
Restios are a family of evergreen, grass-like plants related to grasses and sedges. They occur mainly in the cape floral kingdom, but there are also a few which occur naturally in Australia. They are ideal ornamental garden plants; some grow in elegant clumps up to 3m tall. Some of them look a bit like unripe wheat, others like horse tails. Their biology is complex; male and female plants are different, often quite markedly. They are wind pollinated and reproduce either from seed or by re-sprouting after fire. Apart from ornamental uses, they provide excellent thatching material and have been used to make brooms. This design combines free-style stitching, textured threads and traditional threads.
The finished piece is approximately 50cm x 40cm.
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Fragile Fynbos
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Heather (Erica canaliculata)
The finished piece is approximately 50cm x 40cm. This glorious shrub grows on the southern cape seaboard of South Africa. It is prolific between Knysna and Plettenberg bay. It is a member of the "fynbos" family and lends itself to interpretation in free-style stitching and creative threads.
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Indigenoius Mexican Plants
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Prickly Poppy
The finished piece is approximately 50cm x 60cm. This design was inspired by the topographical drawings from "The Voyages of Discovery". The plant is ARGEMONE MEXICANA. These two species of beetle are the long-horned beetle, CALLIPOGON CINNAMONEUS, and its fleshy larva in the centre of the plant and the large brown beetle, flying beetle and small larva, TAENIOTES FARINOSUS. Enjoy free-style embroidery, exploring the potential of creative threads in different textures.
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Fruit Botanicals
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Passion Fruit, Pomegranate, Dogrose, Cherry, Strawberry
(French version available)
Each finished piece is approximately 50cm x 40cm. The design incorporates many aspects of free-style embroidery (dimensional crewel stitches, stumpwork, ribbon embroidery and innovative ideas from Les designs studio). The image takes the embroiderer from bud, to flower and fruit, with a transverse section of the fruit and often a pollinating insect. It is designed to inspire the needle person to experiment with the potential of different stitches, threads and texture - to develop an enjoyment of mixed media.
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Grapevine
This design combines wonderful mixed media techniques. The fruit botanical offers the needle crafter the opportunity of creating realistic leaves with needle painting and an understanding of shading, with the smaller foliage in silk ribbon combinations. The flowers are couched bouclé and needle lace while the grapes offer stumpwork and candlewick options. Picture approximately 30cm x 40cm in size.
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So Ripe!
Purple grapes with feeding moth
Inspired by the voyages of discovery, this stunning topographical design shows the metamorphosis of the vine moth. Learn to shade with hand-dyed threads and textured threads to create the illusion of plump grapes and the feeding moth. Clever couching of chenille, bouclé and yarn creates the illusion of the textured leaves and the exotic worm is a combination of different knot stitches. Picture approximately 30cm x 40cm in size.
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Morello Cherries
This fruit botanical lends itself to embroidery in new dimensions. Learn to transfer a design into interesting stitches by understanding scale, shading and composition. The leaves are translated in crewel stitches, textured threads and wired needle-lace. The cherry blossom is a combination of silk organza ribbon with the added dimension of double-sided organza, wired petals. The cherry fruit incorporates colonial knots, chenille and padded velvet shapes. Picture approximately 30cm x 40cm in size.
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Passion Flowers
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Scarlet Passion Flower, Burgundy Passion Flower and Pastel Passion Flower
Each finished piece is approximately 50cm x 40cm. The exotic complexity of the Passion Flower bloom lends itself to exciting interpretations in textured threads and ribbons.
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Florals
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Cosmos
(French version available)
The finished piece is approximately 50cm x 60cm. This totally original design is an exploration of mixed media. The complementary appliqué work and ribbon embroidery enhance the overall effect and speed up the creation of a large piece of work. The stumpwork details add the extra dimension and finishing touch.
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Flower Botanicals
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Agapanthus
(French version available)
This interpretation of the Agapanthus africanus is magnificent for a tactile cushion. The head of the Agapanthus has several components: the bud, half open bud, the full bloom and the spent flowers. The basic trumpet is made up of 6 petals, 5 to 6 stamens, a pistil and a slim stem which supports the trumpet. The calyx is sometimes visible. The designs are available as a blue Agapanthus or a white Agapanthus
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Bougainvillea
(French version available)
The name Bougainvillea is from Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who discovered the plant in Brazil in 1768. This stunning three dimensional bougainvillea branch is true-to-life in size, shape and colour. Learn to mould the leaves with new and exciting wired and unwired 3-Dimensional techniques. The centres have been enhanced with an array of fabulous stitches.The bougainvillea is available in 2 shades of red and pink.
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Clivia
(French version available)
Different shades of orange and peachy pink are used to create this wonderful Clivia bloom inspired by a magnificent painting. The seed pod branch combines rich burgundy reds, funky greens and highlights of dusty plum and oyster white. This design provides an exciting understanding of shading, to create the perfect bloom.
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NEW KIT
Iris Gesmerana
If you are a creative person and would like to learn new techniques, this design is perfect. The level of embroidery skills needed is intermediate in order to manage the Design. Begin with a simple pure silk appliqué and work through the design incorporating cords, wired and unwired needle-lace and dimensional appliqué. The beautiful ancient technique of unwired barbola is also included in the petals. The centre, calyx and bulb are worked in fine and composite stitches. The actual plant is approximate 10cm x 20cm.
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NEW KIT
Crocus sativus
“Crocus sativus”, the Saffron crocus, shows a delightful example of botanical embroidery. It is worked on a silk background with a variety of linear stitches, long and short stitch and raised features of detached buttonhole stamens and freestyle needlelace. The coloured areas use a range of cotton, rayon, linen, pure silk and yarn in many different ways to introduce texture and colour change. The plant and pod is approximately 16cm x 26cm
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NEW KIT
Bauhinia
Bauhinia is commonly referred to as the Camel’s foot or Orchid tree. The essence of the Bauhinia design is the double-sided wire appliquéd flowers. Each petal is carefully constructed using a range of different stitches. Special attention is paid to how the light falls on the flower and the thread colours are changed accordingly. Hand-dyed fabrics and threads, in cotton and silk, enhance the design. A combination of traditional embroidery stitches and raised embroidery techniques are used to add extra dimension to the project. The final touch to the overall piece is the delicate dragonfly ascending towards the bloom.
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NEW KIT
Tulipa Gesneriana
If you are a creative person and would like to learn new techniques, this design is perfect. The level of embroidery skills needed is intermediate in order to manage the Design. Begin with a simple pure silk appliqué and work through the design incorporating cords, wired (raised embroidery) and unwired needle-lace and ribbon. The centre, calyx and bulb are worked in fine and composite stitches. The actual plant is approximately 10cm x 20cm.
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Fruit and Vegetable Botanicals
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Carrot
The finished piece is approximately 50cm x 40cm. The carrot is made up of a multiple of interesting flowers, fruit and roots and makes an exciting adventure of different stitches in traditional threads.
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Onion
The finished piece is approximately 50cm x 40cm. The onion is a fabulous vegetable to interpret in textured threads and crewel stitches. It comes to life with clever colour manipulation and a few 3-D techniques.
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Fig
The finished piece is approximately 50cm x 40cm. Enjoy an embroidery experience with free-style stitches and textured threads.
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| Country Companions 1 |
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Michaelmas, Rose-Hip and Gypsophila
(French version available)
Combine traditional stitches with perlé and stranded thread and create a gentle design of country plants, which is ideal for framing or a casual cushion. The finished design is approximately 25cm x 30cm
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| Country Companions 2 |
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Bramble Berries, Shasta Daisies, Primrose & Grass
(French version available)
Combine traditional stitches with perlé, stranded thread and silk ribbon and create a gentle design of country plants which is ideal for framing or a casual cushion. The finished design is approximately 20cm x 25cm
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