Hours and hours of stitching and this beautiful little picture is complete. I decided to change it from a 5X7 image to a 5X5 square... partly because of the way the image looked as a square and also because I found a perfect mat/frame in my studio and it really compliments the art. The only way I could do the leafy rows justice and highlight the sunset glow was to use french knots to create each leaf. It was a slow process, but I love the way it turned out!

French knots are wonderful to use in embroidery as they create shadows and texture that just can't be created with straight stitching. They are simple to stitch and by using a higher number of embroidery floss strands and more "wraps" around the needle before pulling through, the knots become bulkier and cover more space. The knots furthest away use only a single strand of floss, while the ones in the front were a 3-strand thread. 

Some might look at this as tedious, but I can honestly say, that for me, there is nothing better than slow stitching! It took hours, but I loved it.😂🥰🧵