First Place

A Garden View is a 5″ x 7″ photo transfer design on linen congress cloth, using silk ribbon surface embroidery techniques in knotted stitches to create a dimensional and layered embroidery piece.

Wikipedia defines a knotted stitch as any embroidery technique in which the yarn or thread is knotted around itself. For the Challenge I have chosen this group of stitches to create a garden scene. Knotted stitches can be individual knots, continuous knotted stitches, and knotted edgings. I have used all three applications with the stitches chosen for the design.

The flower garden contains French knots, colonial knots, the drizzle stitch, coral stitch, pistil stitch, four-legged knot stitch, and the double knot stitch. The Hollie point stitch is used to highlight the back wall, with the Pekinese stitch used to create the window panes. The knotted edging is the Antwerp stitch, better known as the knotted blanket stitch. The Japanese ribbon stitch, fly stitch, and stem stitch (whipped too!) were used to enhance the silk ribbon embroidery. All of these stitches are done in a variety of silk ribbons in various widths, cotton and silk flosses, and pearl cottons.