OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern: by Joan Elliott
• Materials: 32 count “Whirlpool” belfast by Picture this Plus, DMC, Kreinik, Petite Treasure Braid, Mill Hiill beads
• Size: 14″ x 10.5″
• Time to stitch: 34 days

At long last, here is my 4th elemental goddess!

The pattern is fine, though I worked with the magazine version which was a little annoying at times.  A color chart, with = and ~ both in peachy skin tones, tiny fractional stitches, colors not really distinguishable… stitching the hands was quite difficult.  I started at the center and worked down to the bottom first. Her skirt is huge and goes on for days, I’m pretty sure that 75% of the time I spent on this project, was stitching the skirt, lilypads, with all the backstich, etc.  Of course the backstitching is extensive…. a few different colors of DMC, plus the Vatican gold Kreinik.  The skirt is heavily beaded too, mostly the clear beads but also blue beads along the trim of her overdress.

I love Picture this Plus fabric and this one was no exception.  It’s a watery mid blue, difficult to capture the tone in a photograph.  The pattern calls for 3 colors of Kreinik, I subbed Petite Treasure Braid PB10 (white) for the Pearl Kreinik because I had a bunch on hand.  The PB10 is the main color for the moon, which has an awful lot of stitches and the PTB has better yardage, anyway.   The blue beads (Mill hill #2088) are such a beautiful blue, new to my bead collection and used to great effect here as watery swirls.     

The Vatican Gold kreinik is used to backstitch the zodiac water symbols, for Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces, on the moon, along with water symbols. The water symbols are also backstitched on her darker blue underskirt.  Another lovely detail is the series of water droplets floating upwards from her face.  This section is also heavily beaded; both the blue and clear beads are used to form her jewelry, a bracelet and necklace.  A swirled tattoo on her bicep is backstitched in Kreinik, and adorned with more blue beads; it’s a little hard to make out in photographs though.  

That face!  Eyes closed in gentle repose, with sophisticated purple eyeshadow.  Deep raspberry lips accomplished with lots of tiny fractionals and delicate backstitch.  Nobody designs faces like Ms. Elliott.  Emotion, peaceful relaxation, is evident and I love it.  Purple waterlilies crown her long, wavy, dark brunette hair, which is accented by the clear beads.  The dragonflies floating all around feature a bit of kreinik for their bodies and bead(s) for their heads.  

It’s hard to believe the series is finally finished, after starting Air Goddess in January 2016.  Here are all 4 together.  I have a frame picked out and plan to double mat them all.  With a bit of luck, I should be able to get all the framing done next year.