Finished

My Estonian project is finished, but first, I'll show you a different picture, because the same thing again is getting boring. I started these carnations when I was in Turkey in a flu which may explain the odd colours. It is huge, about the size of a baby's hand. The red parts of the unfinished carnation are sock wool.


Now about the finished project. Thank you so much for your kind comments and suggestions! It might be a good idea to have a tea-dyed background; actually, one corner got soaked in milk coffee in Turkey. J read the latest comments; he said, right, fill the gaps. But his idea was not to dye them, but to fill the whole space with embroidery. I'm afraid I will follow neither suggestion.
It is finished.
-- Even if I don't sell this one -- it is too much of an experiment --, I guess I might make smaller medallions of the same kind and put them into my shop. They might be used as a base for pillow tops or as parts of small quilts.

The red material will be running out in the near future, and it is different from the English crewel wool. If you look at it in a close-up,
it is smooth and feels a bit like cashmere. This quality (Zephir wool/Orchidee) is not produced anymore. I bought what I could get, that's my excuse for the full drawer. Crewel wool is not as obedient and soft as Zephir; you can see it in the detail; the darkest blue is new-bought crewel wool. My way out is to try 4-ply sock wool, untwisted. It works! Not any kind of wool can be used, because most knitting-wool is so soft that pulling the thread through the fabric 3 or 4 times is enough to wear it down and break it. Only sock-wool is spun firmly enough to allow embroidery. Not to talk about the price difference. -- My stash will probably last for this lifetime; if I run out of certain colours, I might start procyon-dyeing on white sock wool.
It is this irrational urge to have a safe support of your desired goods? It is just uncomfortable to know that your fav material will run out. Does it make sense to you?