Whether it’s a stitch tutorial that brings clarification or a free embroidery pattern that provides inspiration, nothing warms the cockles of my wee little heart more than seeing Needle ‘n Thread put to good use!
Today, I want to share with you a piece of pearl and goldwork embroidery worked by Larissa Borodich.
Larissa used this stylized pomegranate design as the foundation of her project and interpreted it using pearl embroidery and goldwork.
The outcome is lavish and splendid!
What I especially love about Larissa’s interpretation – and about being able to share it with you – is that it demonstrates so well how an embroidery design comes to life when someone brings their own artistic vision to it.
If I had worked this design or you had worked this design, how would we have interpreted it? I would probably have used silk shading and a little goldwork. You might have used crewel wool. Others might envision it entirely in gold. Maybe others would approach it as whitework with needle lace fillings.
There are so many ways we can work embroidery designs, but it’s the embroiderer’s artistic vision that, in the end, makes the design his or her own.
Larissa used freshwater pearls, gold seed beads, gold chip work using check purl bits, red spinal rondelles, gold spangles, and various goldwork threads to embroider the design.
One of the goldwork threads she used is the striped and twisted wire metal thread I wrote about in this article last December. She found it in Moscow, in a shop that sells supplies for ecclesiastical needlework and vestment making.
I love seeing the thread at work! I’ve played with it a bit myself, but I haven’t actually used it in a finished project. I really like the effect!
Larissa’s finished piece is 7″ high – and what a glorious 7″ of embroidery it is!
Really lovely work!
You can see more of Larissa’s embroidery here on Needle ‘n Thread – it’s quite inspirational, especially if you’d like to add beads or pearls to your own projects. She does some incredible work with pearl embroidery! You’ll find more of her work through the following links:
Beadwork matting – an embroidered frame
Angel in tent stitch
Pearl and goldwork embroidered frame
High relief pearl embroidery icon
Enjoy the weekend!
