Close-ups on the Flowered Blouse – Part One

Flower 1 - Close up

Flower 1 - Close up

You may recall, not so long ago, a post that I wrote about a blouse embroidered some years ago, during a particularly impoverished period in my life. Here are the promised close-ups of the floral motifs.

Or at least some of them. When the connection started slowing when I put all ten in one post (before I even started to add any text!), I decided to split them up. I’m hoping to put five per post and just write two posts…

Flower 2 - Close Up

Flower 2 - Close Up

I’m no botanist, and if I am honest, I suspect the original designer wasn’t either. The various pictures and descriptions in the magazine did not suggest a slavish adherence to the natural colours of the flowers – even supposing one could be sure of their likely species!

Flower 3 - Close Up

Flower 3 - Close Up

The polyester was not an easy fabric to embroider, and frankly the blouse wasn’t worth the effort I put into it, being a lot like a cheap school or office uniform blouse, but as I said in the original post, I didn’t really have a choice at the time. That said, I do still wear it, not without pleasure, so there is something to be said for all that effort, perhaps.

Flower 4 - Close Up

Flower 4 - Close Up

The stitches used were very simple ones, for the most part – satin stitch, fishbone stitch, stem stitch, blanket stitch, and the occasional French knot. The close ups show that the blanket stitch refused to settle properly and the spine of the stitch has rolled inwards from the edge, but that may simply be the result of years of wear and tear. The blouse goes in the washing machine when it needs a wash – inside a pillow case or lingerie bag, admittedly, but I don’t hand wash it.

Flower 5 - Close Up

Flower 5 - Close Up

When I was choosing the colours and the stitches was more concerned to balance the colours across the front of the blouse than to create accurate depictions of plants, but for all that, there are some motifs more reminiscent of the real thing than others!

4 Comments

  1. karen says:

    so pretty, don’t know if I could wear it for fear of spoiling it!!

  2. Elmsley Rose says:

    They are a bit quirky, but they are lovely as well 🙂 🙂

  3. Janice says:

    I love that you have called then Flower 1,2,3, etc for want of a positive ID! They are beautifully done – and the inexpensive blouse that they’re worked on is all part of their story. I certainly don’t think any less of things I inherited from my grandma just because they’re not top quality goods! Just as they are, they tell her story, and this blouse tells part of yours. I’m pleased to hear you still wear it.

  4. Lady Fi says:

    What magical flowers! When I opened your post, I thought SPRING! Really lovely work.