Thursday, February 7, 2013

Atwater-Bronson Beaded Top

Looking over my most recent posts I noticed I hadn't shared the results of fabric I was working on ...last May! I was surprised to remember that I started it that long ago, and it makes me realize how long the designing, weaving, and finishing process often is. I finished the weaving in June and put the top together then. I took it with me when I attended Convergence in July, but found little time to work on the embroidery and beading then. It was finished and mailed to Handwoven magazine in mid-August for publication in the November/December issue. The description, "Sarah Jackson's snowy, showy Atwater-Bronson top..." really does describe the look of the fabric, although the beads and silky embroidery floss catch the light and shimmer more noticeably than the photo shows.
In the close-up below you can see more clearly the two threads I used--8/2 cotton which has a matte finish and tencel which is shiny--in both the warp and weft. The embroidery and bead placement was mapped out with pieces of freezer paper  ironed onto the fabric.
It was fun wearing the top around the holidays for a bit of sparkle and shine!