Candlestick Bookmark Finished

Finished Candlestick Bookmark

Finished Candlestick Bookmark

I’ve finished the candlestick bookmark.

I worked the stitches on the candle vertically, and the stitches on the drips of wax diagonally, to try to create a slightly different effect. The light reflecting off the different angled stitches creates almost different colours, and certainly different shades.

The dense weave of the grosgrain ribbon has made stitching this really rather a trial. As I’ve commented already, sometimes I feared I would break the needle, and that has meant that it has required a real effort of will to complete the embroidery.  Now it is finished, however, I’m pleased.

The Candlestick looks like engraved brass (with the eye of faith, anyway!), with the vertical stripes suggesting the reflection of other things around the room.

The wax doesn’t really look dribbly enough, but it is as dribbly as I am willing to make a bookmark. If this were to be a wall panel (tell me why I would do that?) I would use bullion knots to make the dribbles look more textured and dribbly. That would also make a bookmark too thick to use.

I think the flame is a real success, though. It is astonishing how such a simple shape, with simple colours and stitches, should be so evocative of the real thing.

7 Comments

  1. Elmsley Rose says:

    I love it! – especially the holder- that’s really great!

    Have you got a ‘needle grabber’? Small oval blue of plastic. Hold onto needle when difficult to get thread/ribbon through a ground. Makes a huge difference. I have one on my ‘chateliane’ (embroidery scissors, goldwork scissors, needle grabber) all tied together by ribbons.

  2. Gorgeous! Shame you can’t use it to read by candlelight 😉 And yes, for a bookmark, it definitely needs to be flat.

  3. Lady Fi says:

    What a lovely candle. Wonderful work!

  4. karen says:

    I think it looks fantastic!! Wow!

  5. Lady Fi says:

    And that flame looks wonderful!

  6. Janice says:

    It’s gorgeous. I love it all, especially the candlestick. Yes, I can imagine why it would be a wall panel… I can imagine it as a very small framed picture in a guest room beside the bed.

  7. Action Ma'am says:

    The candle stick immediately brought to mind one of those elaborate church candlesticks with a square cross section which has been given a spiral twist.