Motif of the Week

I am wading through emails, after a great weekend of getting things done outside : )

I've decided to challenge myself to embroider at least one motif a week, from the Elizabethan palette.  This week's motif is the honeysuckle flower.

Elmsley Rose pointed me towards this website, which is an amazing resource for anyone interest in Elizabethan embroidery.  It is a databse of embroidery motifs, with some wonderful photos!

http://genvieve.pbworks.com/w/page/9773652/Embroidery

Here is the page on honeysuckle:

http://genvieve.pbworks.com/w/page/9773636/Elizabethan-Embroidery-Honeysuckle

Here is the photo of the motif I embroidered this past weekend, between yardwork and such:

The red thread is silk, and the rest of the threads are plain ole DMC floss.  The gold is Japan silk #5.  The gold veins in the leaves are embroidered with gold filigree.  The center of the flower is couched gold, and the stems are gold embroidered with a chain stitch.  The leaves and flowers are embroidered with detached buttonhole.  The veins in the leaves are embroidered with slip stitches.  Over all, I think it turned out pretty well for a weekend project!  This will be one of the sweetbags I am embroidering for Pennsic.