Garden Path - Jacket - Part VI

Hollyhocks, Part 2

Today I've been working on making some improvements to the hollyhocks and making stems.

Making the stems was pretty easy, they are the standard bias strips stitched right sides together and pressed with the presser bar.

I wasn't 100% happy with the hollyhocks yesterday, so I set about today to improve them. Mostly I work from pictures, so to be able to reference pictures and lots of them, I moved the laptop into the studio. As you can see, I can work with photos right in front of me to be able to translate real life into fabric, thread, beads and sequins. Of course, that's not always as easy as it looks.

Here is today's version:

After studying some photos, I've made a few changes. One is that the flowers are closer together on the stem. Two is that I've changed the flower color to a darker pink. This also relates to my color choice for the roses. I've also made a larger bud to try.

The buds still need some work - most likely some stitching or some kind of green lines to give them some dimension. I still haven't made leaves, and I'm still not happy with the dark pink portion of the flower centers. I've improved the beading, and I'm happy with that.

I think I figured what the problem is with the centers. The centers look like I took a marker to them. They don't fade nicely into the lighter pink. While the dye pen centers are fine and would probably work for many applications, they're just not right for me for this project. I'd rather have that soft fade you can get with colored pencils. So, I'm off this afternoon to the independent art supply store in downtown Concord to see if they have Prismacolor pencils open stock (not in sets) in the colors I need. I already have a small set, but I need pinks and magenta. Wish me luck - I called and know that they have them, but didn't want to bother the poor clerk with finding out if they have the specific colors I'm looking for.

Q/A: Today's question is from Bunny regarding the hollyhock petals: "The edges of the petals are beautiful. Did you use a heat tool?" Yes, the petals are heat cut, as you can see from the photo below. The edges are sealed, and since each petal is stitched down only in the center, the flower becomes dimensional.

Parting Shot: Buttons. I finally got my buttons for my sweater. Wouldn't you know that I still need one more card of buttons? Thankfully, I won't need those last buttons until I get the sleeves done and start the finishing. I will be starting the first sleeve tonight!