lichen 4

We spent the weekend with family on the east coast and as October slips away and November sneaks in, the autumn leaves and colours are giving way to cool winds and rain. Good weather for stitching…on lichen piece 4. Inspired by one of my husband’s photos, at the top of this image, I am mainly workin with stranded cotton on a piece of soft organic cotton painted with dyes.

I’m  using cretan stitch for its effectiveness in recreating the lichen shapes that occur in colonies. The texture comes from overlaying thicker perle threads and some shinier rayons.

By this afternoon I had progressed this far and took the opportunity to photograph  outside in a spell of sunshine. I’m really pleased with how the sun has created enough shadows on the piece to be very suggestive of lichen colonies. It’s a bit wrinkly out of its hoop, but you get the idea.

Tonight I will stretch lichen 3 over a piece of card. The lichen collection are building into a little gallery. And I have plenty more ideas, thanks to some wonderful photographs I have found or been sent. (Thank you ,Jane.)