The next step in the Mission Rose embroidery project after finishing the bud has to do with the corners on the inside area of the design, just outside the inner frame around the rose.

My plan there is a little bit of appliqué…

…in blue, as a matter of fact.

The silk I’m using is a gorgeous blue. The camera doesn’t capture the color just right, I’m afraid, and even if it did, you might not see it just right, because color varies from monitor to monitor.

The blue silk is fixed to the fabric with tiny stitches just along the edge. The appliqué piece is cut just slightly outside the design line, so that it is a hair larger than the area.

To stitch the silk in place, I’m using a regular sewing thread in the same color blue, bringing the needle and thread to the front in the ground fabric just outside the blue silk, and taking it down just inside the blue silk, with stitches that are no more than 1/16″ long.

The frames, both the inner marquise-shaped frame around the rose and the outer frame – will hide the edges of the appliqué.

I love the extra color in the piece, and I love, love, love this particular blue silk. But this whole approach could end up being a mistake – I haven’t decided yet. Any thoughts on your end? Feel free to leave a comment below!

I’ll fill you in on the nitty-gritty on the appliqué once I finish getting the corners in and decide if the appliqué will stay or go!

If you’d like to follow along with the entire Mission Rose embroidery project from start to finish, including pattern, materials, and so forth used for the project, feel free to visit the Mission Rose Embroidery Project Index, where you’ll find all the articles relating to this project listed in chronological order.