Putting Life Into Embroidery

This time of year in the area that I live in, the flowers seem to be the most vibrant. The cool weather drop and the rain showers have brought  relief from the harsh Texas heat and now every thing has life in it.

The Zinnia in my garden are so cheery, that I had to sketch one off and embroider it...............and this plain version is pretty.................

however..................when I see this in nature..............

I see this in my embroidery.  It takes longer...........but it brings that flower to life on my linen. A cluster of french knots in the center, the yellow lazy daisy ring around that and then shading in with hues of pink for the petals, using the long and short stitch.....................that is embroidery to me!

 What do you think?

If you would like to try this............just start out with a small flower..........and then use the long and short stitch to fill in each petal. Make short stitches...............then add long stitches with the darkest shade of thread first............

Then on top of that, add short and long stitches in the lighter shade of floss.  In no time..........you will have petals that are flowing with life from your needle! You can find more information on the long and short stitch on the Internet or in any good embroidery reference book.

****MORE INSTRUCTIONS

But just give it a try................I know you will love it!

Don't you think??