Well, what do you know - another queen's rose pouch. Serves me right for raising my hand again!

I've been pondering how to make this project happen for quite some time, and it was one week ago that I decided I couldn't wait anymore. I shopped for colors I liked then went looking for a pattern. What I needed was a rose pattern were the petals didn't touch one another, because as far as I can tell, all shapes in the design that touch need to be clearly different colors. Having two petals together as in most rose patterns would cause the lines between the petals to blend in with each other, since there would be no outline stitching to split the color block into two shapes.

So I hit up one of my favorite period pictures books, Janet Arnold's Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd. And it wasn't long before I found what I needed. Portrait #13 on page 16 depicts Frances Croker, and was painted from 1585-1587 and currently resides in the V&A. If you look on her upper right sleeve, you'll see an embroidered rose pattern where the petals are spaced out so the leaves show through all the way down. Poifect!

Or, maybe not. To my eyes, it looks kinda cartoony. So, I broke out the compass and started drawing circles. I drew up a pattern that turned out looking a little stiff, but which will give me a settled base on which to try out a new technique. And as this is a learning piece for me, I definitely need stability.

To the right you can see how far I got as of 2/1/08. I am using 28 count white Wichelt linen and four strands of DMC cotton. I started working on the "frame" portion of the design, as that would allow me to maintain pattern uniformity while making the "fill" portion go quickly.

It's going well! This is turning out to be an incredibly engaging and fulfilling project for me. I enjoy the challenge of following the pattern across color lines, despite the inevitable mistakes I've been making, and I really like the way the pattern is starting to take shape.

To the right is how far I've come as of earlier today. I've started filling in the pattern on the petals, and I'm looking forward to see how it looks with the green fill stitches.

I am disappointed that I somehow managed to set the pattern off-center. It might not be so obvious once I fill the center of the rose in with the fill stitching, but I'll always know it's there! I'll definitely do better on the Mists princess rose pouch, which I plan to do the same style but use a more challenging pattern for.

BTW, I do plan to fill the background in with gold stitching (darker than the center yellows, definitely) that continues the pattern, out to about 1/2" from the fabric edges. If there's time (this is due at June Crown), I will stitch a whole another back panel with just the basic pattern, no rose design. Or . . maybe not. I believe this pouch will go to whomever wins March Crown, so if they have an appropriate element in their device, I might do the same thing with that for the back. No, I'm not insane, really I'm not. I'm just thoroughly enjoying this project and want to keep going!

So - a whole month and change later. What have I done, you ask? Well, let's see . .

Quite a lot! I finished the framing stitches for a quarter of the background plus some, and have started filling it in. I was waffling on the gold fill color, but now that it's in I really like it. I've refrained from completely filling in the petals and leaves because I know I will get super sick of gold in the not so distant future.

To the left is an overview shot of where I am today, and to the right is a detail shot showing where three color groups meet. It also shows some space that I've both completed and not completed. Once it's done, there will be no outline stitching; the color change wil serve as its own delineation.

Three months later, and I'm done. WHHEEEEEE!!! I can't believe it's finally finished . . well, the embroidery is. Now it's time to get the bag constructed. And since I can't sew to save my life, I'm turning to my friend Caiterina nic Sheamuis to help me out. She helped me complete Oonagh's rose pouch, and is happy to help me complete this one, too. I'm glad that this time, I have a whole month before it's due in which to get it finished.

First, a look back at what I've done. These two pictures are from 6-18, and I'm about 3/4 of the way through. Noticed I never touched the rose petals or leaves; guess I wasn't too sick of gold, afterall.

I'm discussing when to finish this with Cait, but before that I need to get some backing material, lining material, bells and tassles. I have some red and gold Istok silk I think would work well for a backing, and I believe I have enough red linen as a lining. I've planned a visit with Catherine Lorraine to see if she has any bells I can score, and she's going to help me make the tassles for this puppy. And that's all I can report for now! I'll definitely post again when the pouch is complete.

And another two months later - now I'm really done. I met with my friend Caiterina nic Seamuis about two weeks before Purg when the pouch was really due, which is a big improvement from the night before that I met with her for the princess' rose pouch. Yikes!

Although Catherine Lorraine had taken the time to show me how to make quick and dirty tassles, I never got around to making them. Ah, well - I did purchase some bells from her, which we added to the bottom of the pouch and which look super cool. Just like for the princess' pouch, Cait cut out and assembled the pouch pieces while I hand braided the drawstring. Although I was a little concerned about how loud the backing material was, it actually turned out beautifully. Once I was done with the handwork Cait left for me to do, I have to say I did not want to part with the thing. Sigh.

So here it is in all its finished glory, first the front, then the back.