Other than the eternal practice of applique, there was no historical inspiration for this item; it was simply something Gaius could wear on his belt that displayed a connection to myself. At this point I had decided on the device that I currently have registered, so I used a portion of it that has become my unregistered badge – a bee counterchanged on a blue and yellow ground divided vertically down the middle. Yes, I realize I should probably get this registered at some point.
The outer fabrics are half and half blue and yellow habatoi silk purchased from Thai Silks in Palo Alto with an interior of white cotton broadcloth for stability. The backing of the favor is black habatoi silk, also from Thai Silks. The embroidery was done as a slip, first embroidered onto white clothing linen then couched onto the silk background. I believe I used Eterna silk in blue and yellow that matched the colors of the silk habatoi, as well as black for the body stripes, antennae, and couching. I used one strand of Eterna and filled in the cells of the bee’s wings and body with satin stitch at various angles.
This was my first real attempt at satin stitch. Although I feel I did just all right with the technique, it was good enough so that the different angles of the stitched cells reflected light in different ways, giving the design a look similar to stained glass. As I had never done satin stitch before this was an unexpected effect, and one that continues to make this project one of my favorites. This second picture, taken at an angle, better shows that lighting effect.
The total piece measures 6 ¾” by 4”. Since it was worn on the belt of a very busy man, it got a little banged up in its lifetime, and some of the stitching is coming loose. To the right is a picture of the favor in use for the very first time, at October Crown 2003. Gaius is on the far right with his face hidden by the herald’s book. This is ironic, as he is and has been a prominent herald wherever he finds himself. As you can see, there is one serious defect with the favor – the belt casing tends to slip up and over the belt during wear. This was an unforeseen problem, one which I am not quite sure how to fix should I ever attempt this again.
