Irises from my Garden

Irises are some of botany’s most revered flowers, serving, in a stylized form—the fleur de lys—as the symbol of France and the noble families of Florence. Here we have a magnificent vase of irises in a range of characteristic hues, ranging from white through values of violets to almost black. The irises are presented in an elegant hammered silver bowl from Peru.

Several traditional canvaswork stitches are employed in this design, but one iris is worked in blackwork and another in pattern darning. The blackwork is embellished with a small amount of beading. And the canvaswork flowers include some metallic accents. Some surface embroidery techniques are employed for the leaves.

The various techniques plus the hues were chosen with an eye toward creating perspective in the design, all the while maintaining a sense of floral realism.

The background fabric is light blue congress cloth, and the threads employed include Soie d’Alger and Waterlilies, along with some metallic accents. This is an elegant piece indeed.

• Time: 2 Days
• Proficiency Level: Intermediate
• Kit cost: $110
• Ground Fabric: Light Blue Congress Cloth