Shisha

So last night we did some stitching with Shisha mirrors with Jean Boath.

Jean runs all kinds of workshops for patchwork and textile art techniques. I first met Jean when we studied City & Guilds at Lauder college together, she was doing patchwork and I was doing embroidery, it was nice to catch up with her after such a long time. 

It was also on that embroidery course way back then that I last did Shisha work,

 this is my sample from then.

this was done about 12yrs ago!

so as you can gather I was a bit rusty! and my first attempt was so bad that I had to cut it all off and start again! I changed my choice of thread and with a little guidance from Jean I set off again and this was the result.....

then I tried one of my square mirrors that I use for my little pendants.

I was quite pleased :) 

as you can imagine with lots of chat that was all I got done

 but when I got home I was itching to do more so

 I tried out one of my oval pink jewel cut cabochons 

not bad I thought so then I did another....

a blue square this time

I think I'm liking these and the effect with the faceted ones is so pretty when used with a co-ordinating variegated thread. 

I then challenged myself to go small.....well why not, I like small and I used a single fine variegated thread 

on a small 8mm cabochon.

fun!....

I think I will be incorporating these into my work a lot more.