Artichoke

80 x 58 cm. Hand embroidered appliqué on table linen. Private collection.

Following a few simple pencil sketches, all the embroidery is performed free-hand, with no design being traced onto the background. The composition involved well over 500 hours of hand sewing, with a rich vocabulary of embroidery stitches and appliqué techniques.

The notes on this intricate piece, so close to my heart, are in Choices, the story I wrote about my grandmother’s silk kimono. Please read it, if you like this picture.

Mounted and framed in pine with oak veneer.