ED193 Mandala

I have chosen 3 different shades of blue embroidery floss and bright yellow embroidery floss and used a single thread of each colour to complete the stitching.

I started to work the stitching design and completed the intersecting leaf shapes in a pale baby blue.

I then worked the yellow lines in each of these blue shapes. The 2 circles are in the same shade of blue, which is more to the purple side of the spectrum.

The inner connecting cross stitch is completed in royal blue and the shell stitches in the same shade of yellow as the central lines.

I completed all the stitching, carefully following the stitch length as instructed. I trimmed this completed work down to a 13.25cm diameter circle. I did not have the exact shades I wanted to use for the beading part of this project.

To overcome this I have used a permanent royal blue permanent pen and coloured 20 silver metallic 7mm rice beads, and 10 small 3mm round glass beads.

I allowed these drying time before attaching them. I attached the central 10 rice beads first and then the 10 rice beads around the perimeter of the design..

I have used royal blue small sequins instead of the spacers and to each of these I have attached a tiny blue pearl seed bead.

I have also used these same tiny blue seed beads to attach close to the position marked near sequin. I have used 20 rice beads, 10 round beads 20 seed beads and 10 sequins, which makes a total of 60 beads including sequins, to complete the project.

To make the card, I first prepared the back of the stitched card to protect the stitching and give a more secure backing, by cutting a 12.75cm diameter circle from some light card and attached this across the back of the stitching.

I then attached the ribbon exactly across the centre back in line with the sequins and on top of the ribbon I have then attached a shaped ivory coloured 13.75cm paper doily.

I used white glue in the centre of the doily and D.S. tape to attach the rest of the doily.

The main backing sheet is a background, backing sheet, cup919638_79993, a design by Clare Walker, the colours of which are perfect as a background for this Mandala design.

I then used D.S. tape to attach this to the 15.5cm square white pearl finished card front.

I attached the small bow and some blue gems. To complete the insert, I attached a 14.5x13.5 image of the same backing sheet onto the right hand side, using D.S. tape and then I have used flower-etched vellum, cut to size, to sit over the image and secured it in the centre fold line with red power tape.

I used the silver peel off sentiment words to colour with the royal blue permanent pen and attached the single flower, cut from the backing sheet, in the centre.

This has made a stunning card with such universal use. Pamela Horton. The Whispering Platypus.