exploring the lace like veins in a skeletonized Hydrangea leaf with thread and white ink
and made some French knots for the first time ever!
this is a continuation of looking at patterns of lace found in nature through the Key Book
Leaf Lace
Posted: July 6, 2015 by Mo Crow in It's Crow Time, LaceTags: inspiration, Key Book, thread, works on paper
Comments
It's Crow Time 
That is lovely. Love the French knots, the only embroidery stitch I am halfway competent at.
Have never managed to make one successfully ’til his morning!
What a beautiful leaf . . .made even more beautiful! Congratulations on your French knots . . . it’ll be bullion knots next . . . they’re pretty cool.
oh am not sure if I like Bullion Knots they look a bit too much like maggots!
Well, your French knots look better than my first efforts -they undid themselves!
all my earlier efforts were so tightly wound they had to be cut out but my friend Maggie who is a stitching wiz suggested winding the thread more loosely and it worked!
Love your French knots, I’m impressed. The Key Book is so delicate almost ethereal – you have a very light touch, Mo. Just beautiful.
every so often I have a go at French knots to no avail ’til this morning, so x fingers I have the knack down now!
I love that it’s July 6 there already. How will the leaf hold up over time, do you think? It looks amazing. And, nice French knots. Mine seem to always want to pull all the way through (fail, in other words).
the leaf will hold up fine because it’s in a book stuck down with archival paste, herbariums keep dried plants in their archives for 100’s of years. I have pressed flowers in books that are still holding together from the 70’s & re those French knots, have discovered that they work if I think loose & light!
Beautiful, I used to be able to do french knots but seem to have lost the knack.
I’m hoping it’s a bit like twining string or riding a bicycle once the muscle memory understands it’s a breeze
The paint and thread work so perfectly with the leaf veins. I love the low-key monochromatic colors….they have some of the same feeling as blind embossing. Congratulations on the french knots…they are tricky sometimes.
trying to redefine ideas of lace that reflect our 21st C world
Really like this Mo. I have some Japanese beetle chewed leaves that I’ve pressed. The skeletal structure is so beautiful. Did you poke your stitch holes in advance with an awl? And perfect French knots!
stitching is so much about feel and although my mark making looks fine it’s often heavy handed, learning to be gentler with the materials is good! & yes I made each hole through the leaf and paper with the needle before stitching one at a time
great integration of fiber. leaf, book. really like the marks you made here. very exciting, mo!
there’s a new direction starting to develop between the drawing, stitching and bits of found leaf and twig which is quite exciting Velma !
i totally agree. push push (grin)
it’s just ’round the edge, a glimpse from the (k)orner of the eye (hmmm this is trikky, the letter “see” doesn’t work on my key()oard this morning… or the one after a…)
PS a bit later and ok, what I was trying to say earlier is it’s just over the edge, a glimpse from the corner of the eye and how good is this? there’s a virtual keyboard available online!
Mo, I’m absolutely in love with this!
so am I!
gosh this is beautiful. I love making french knots, it’s like performing a magic trick everytime.
((((Cindy))) it really is like a magic trick with fingers x-ed hoping that it will work again each time!
Congrats on the French knots … I must say I’ve always liked them myself.
And as much as I love the delicate tracery of leaf, ink and stitch, it was the little heart announcing “9 down and 91 to go” that brought the biggest grin.
hehe!
now that is painstakingly beautiful work!
Thanks for the good words Louise, much appreciated, you are the queen of making painstakingly stunning work!
So beautiful Mo – age and beauty, time passing, being held, gentle reminders…they’re all there.
thanks for the encouragement Fiona!
All is said, but I have to add by myself: it is so beautiful! And you can get addicted to french knots -very dangerous 🙂
thanks for the good advice Doris will keep an eye on how many I do hehe!
The french knots will start to flow … Love it’s delicate strength
your beautiful rose petal prayer flag was the inspiration for having a go at trying to make one work Susi!
Oh wow – I am smiling so much
The key book is brilliant, and this particular page, gorgeous. x
thanks Judy I am enjoying this exploration
Hey, Mo, I finally found time to stop by and I’m doing ok despite terrorist attacks, etc. Right now I’m in the States visiting family and trying to get back to blogging. I may be fired from my teaching job–I work too hard! Which will be a relief because I can get back to the artwork full time. I’ll head back to my orchards in Tunisia in August, but there is a big question mark hanging over everything.
LUV the lacy leaf with stitching. Gorgeous and so subtle. I am, of course, a fan of French knots. I also liked your red hearts for Dee. Thanks for stopping by my place so regularly and not loosing faith. It is much appreciated…
so good to see you Nadia I was getting worried!