Photo updates!

The doorways are assembled at last.

Front













Back

My darling husband says that, from a phenomenographic perspective, my focus has shifted from the doorways to the tent as a whole and that is why I am having trouble appreciating what fine doorways they are. I want the whole thing to be done!

I am progressing on the applique for the front roof. I've added some close-up pictures of the process to the feb post on the process of applique if you are interested. Now back to work for me!

Pavillion Progress Update-1

In case you were wondering...

Yes, I'm still working on the pavilion.

I've finished the black couching on the second mottoe panel, and am currently working on the same outlining on the WATER panel for the back doorway. My hope is to get both back doorway panels done, and the two doorway/awning sections assembled this weekend. Look for pictures by Monday!

On other fronts, I am considering what to use to make the soft furnishings for the outside of the tent. I know I'll be making cushions for our chairs, and probably a mosquito netting screen house which I can attach under the awning flaps. (Mosquitoes really love me, but the feeling isn't mutual!) And I agree that we need standards...

Oh yes, and poles of course!

But all of that is for another day, right now it is all about the couching.

Update on the Mottoe

The second section of goldwork is finished! Amazing. I thought it would never be done and then--poof--FINISHED! OK, OK, I still have to do the black outlining on that section, and two of the doorway panels, but still, FINISHED!

I might--just possibly--actually finish this pavillion in time for Pennsic. (I sure hope so, or we'll be sleeping in a day shade!)

The Funny Thing About Giving Yourself Permission...

NOT to do something, is that it sometimes has the opposite result!

After spending last night working on the design for the back roof of my pavilion, I got up this morning and promptly started to work on the second section of the motto. Go figure.

Giving myself leave to do something else seems to have put it back on the 'fun' side of the scale and I am already halfway finished with the ribbon-work part of the task. I'm not promising this rate will continue but to go from 2 1/2 letters finished to 15 finished and several others started feels great!

Maybe there will even have to be pictures soon...

The Roof at Last!

As I predicted, the--apparently endless--stitching on the mottoe has gotten be be a bit more like drudgery than I can handle, so I am commencing work on the dragon applique for the roof sections of the pavillion. (And can I just say, WooHoo!)

I'm hoping the first panel will be comparitively simple--since there is not much more actual applique than there was on one of the door panels--but you know how I am...

Anyway, here is

A close up of the pattern for the front roof


I'm thinking I will adapt it to make the back roof. Maybe something like this:

Proposed back roof panel


I think it's not quie busy enough--maybe she should be holding foliage to feed the dragons? (OK apparently they are wyverns, but close enough for me!) Still a work in progress, obviously.

Wish me luck!

More on the Mottoe

I have been overcome by the coolness of the way black outlining makes everything seem crisper, and somehow clearer, and so I have completely neglected moving forward on the second section of the mottoe while I outline each letter of the first section.

Black outlining in progress

I'm finding that it works really well for me to have the cord on a tapestry needle and the sewing thread on another hand sewing needle. I knot the cord on the back of the work, bring it to the front using the tapestry needle, stitch it down with the sewing thread/needle, bring the cord to the back of the work again and out at the next section. If there is a lot of space between sections I knot the cord on the back at the beginning and end for security but it is still much tidier than when I used to start each letter with a new segment of cord. Works for me!

Better...Stronger...FASTER

It seems I wildly overestimated the time it would take to complete step two. (Especially if I ended up stuck at home with the stomach flu!)

The first 9' section of mottoe applique is finished. That piece is the section which will go over the front doorway just above the AIR and FIRE panels. After some elaborate calculations I have figured out where the text will fall on the 9' section over the back door, marked out the text, and started the applique work there too.

I hope to have both doorways finished by the end of this weekend, if all goes well.

The finished section of Mottoe






The second section















To give a better idea of the scale/construction of the Pavilion here is a photo of: the roof, mottoe and doorway panels laid out as they will be assembled

















and finally, a picture of the source design for the dragon on the front roof of the pavilion

Here be Dragons!...

OK, now couching down the black cord on the door panels goes really fast but the gold lettering on the mottoe? Not so much.

As you may remember, I am looking at about 29 feet of lettering. At my current pace of 2' on a weekend day and about 6" on a weeknight that would be....a long long time. About 2 months of a long lllllooooonnnnnggggg time.

My hands hurt just thinking about it.

...but... Oooooh!, SHINY!!!

So I will persevere. If I am a very lucky girl I will get better (stronger, faster) with this process also. I sure do hope so.

To keep myself entertained in the meanwhile, I have been pondering my approach to the top most part of the center section of the Pavilion. I know it is going to be 3'x9' with the upper 1' covered with a band of the same glorious blue-green fabric I have been using throughout. I also know that I am going to be appliqueing on a period motif of a man capturing dragons (on the front of the pavilion) and my adapted version of a woman capturing (luring) them (on the back of the pavilion). I've been putting it off because I wanted to be sure that I have cut all the large continuous pieces I will need from the applique fabric before I start on the little bitsies that make up the dragon motifs.

Since I'm going to need a break from all that mottoe stitching, I guess the time is near at hand.

Wow. Gold ribbon? NICE......

I am so glad I looked in my stash. The ribbon is magnificent on the lettering. There is really no other word for it. It sparkles--even in the dark. It is just the right size. And strangely the weave of the ribbon even makes it look like the whole letter was embroidered in satin stitch. (But all I had to do was stitch the edges down. Woo hoo!)

I have no idea if it will hold up once it is out in the elements, but I am really glad I decided to try it out. Below, see the wonders of what cheap-o "gold" ribbon can do in the right application:



























The lettering on my Pavilion, in progress

Done at last!

OK, it's just step 1, but I'm done with the applique for the doorway.

Done! Done! DONE!!!!

(Thank goodness.)

And they came out rather nicely, don't you think?



















The completed applique on the four door panels

I needed a bit of inspiration to continue going forward, so I decided to lay the door way out on the floor for more pictures. Keep in mind that the *actual* tent will be 6 feet wider and 3 feet taller--and three dimensional--but here is a taste of ...











The front door of the Pavilion

and











The back door of the Pavilion

To keep up my tradition, here are detail shots of the last two elements:














AIR

(which you may notice got a small bit of trapunto) and














EARTH

As I said...Done! Done! DONE!!!!

Now on to the next stage of the plan...the Mottoe.

I've been cutting out the pattern pieces for the text and I've been slowly and reluctantly coming to the conclusion that maybe I should rethink the idea of applique for the mottoe. I'll make the final decision when I go shopping for materials this weekend, but at the moment I am leaning towards embroidery after all. (It's all the fiddly bits on the letters.) Stay tuned!

Stage Two: Mottoe

As you may remember, the doorway panels are going to be attached to a 1' deep header. This band of blue-green will run the entire circumference of the tent (at 7' up) and Clarence and I have been searching for months for the proper mottoe to put on it. After much deliberation we have decided on:

INCEPTIS GRAVIBUS PLERUMQUE ET MAGNA PROFESSIS PURPUREUS LATE QUI SPLENDEAT UNUS ET ALTER ADSUITUR PANNUS

Which we understand translates as " In serious works and ones that promise great things, one or two purple patches are often stitched in, to glitter far and wide." (Horace 65-8 BC)

I love it.

I'm planning on doing each individual letter in applique (of course) because I just can't see myself taking on the project of embroidering all 29 +/- feet and finishing it before Pennsic...or this year...or ever!

***

I just need to finish up the applique work on AIR and EARTH before I can move on...