I had a toadstool clock on my wall growing up, which inspired this applique embroidery. I designed and stitched it when I was pregnant with my second child.I loved creating the different elements of this scene, from painting the fabric to creating braids to edge the toadstool.
I enjoyed experimenting with the different techniques required for this piece. The image below highlights some of the smocking I did. The tree was hand smocked, small stitches sewn in lines in a specific pattern, before being drawn in to create the final folds. The underside of the toadstool was smocked using a traditional smocking machine to create the folds seen.
The image below shows the 3-D nature of the piece, created by using layers of carpet felt under the velvet. I also cut out sections of the velvet to show the inside of the toadstool house. The door is joined on just one side an opens to show a lamp on a table just inside.