July Challenge

This months challenge is wings. So I decided to make my first dragonfly. I decided to make my wings out of angelina fibers. I cut a piece of fusible web and then sprinkled the angelina fibers over the fusible web. Then placed parchment paper over the angelina(I also had parchment paper under the fusible web to keep it from sticking to my ironing board)and heated it with an iron. Then I pulled it from the parchment paper and folded the fibers with the fusible web side together and pressed with the iron again. Then I placed the angelina fibers in the hoop. I cut four pieces of 28 guage unwrapped wire to 4 3/4 inches. Then shaped the wire in the form of a wing. I placed the wire on the angelina fiber and began to do an overcast stitch.

Here I have all four wings ready to cut out.I used a metallic thread using the feather stitch to fill in the wings. Cut the wings out as close to the stitching as possible without clipping the threads.

Then I started making the body. I took two strands of cotton thread for the stumpwork part of the dragonfly. I couched this thread with the color I wanted to use for the body. The threads you use for the couching will the thread you use to do a raised stem band. Once you have couched you come back up to the front and just like making a stem stitch, with the exception of putting the needle through the fabric, you put the needle through the couching and continue without piercing the cotton thread or the fabric. At the end you will go down and come back up to the starting point and do it again till you get it filled in.

Here I'm getting to the finishing point.
You exit through the same hole no matter how many rounds you make filling this in. Then you will couch again inbetween where you had couched previously.
Now I am fixing to put in the wings. Using a darning needle for the guide to puncture the hole you need to insert the wire.
Here the first wings have been added. You will bend the wire back and stitch it in place then clip the remaining wire with wire clippers.
And now the second set of wings have been added.
The thorax was made with some kind of specialty threads I have accumulated. Couldn't tell you what kind it is. But it is just straight stitches.
Then I added a bead for the head.

Two small seed beads for the eyes. And I wasn't happy with the body, I thought it was to small so I added some more to make it thicker. Here you see I have couched the cotton thread.
Filling it with the raised stem band.

And added the legs and here is my dragonfly. I am very happy with her,,,there will definately be more of these in my future.I have all kinds of different colors of angelina fibers.