azwendyg

Thanks Linda! I already tried blending some green paintstik color on the feathers to highlight them a bit, but the photo doesn't really show it well at all.
As for what I'm learning so far...as well as showing techniques for stitching the feathers, the book really shows how to use curvy feathers in the boarder and build them a section at a time without stitching a spine first. This technique helps me to build a more symetrical design, I think. Until now, I've always stitched a spine first, then went all the way up one side with the lobes, and then the other side. This technique involves stitching several lobes in one direction until the curve of the lobe crosses the centerline, then going back and stitching lobes on the other side, following the curve of the existing lobes. You kind of leap-frog adding lobes alternately to one side then the other as you move along the length of the feather. Also, this is the first time I've stitched feathers in the more "traditional" manner, retracing the top of the lobe to move to the next instead of going back to the spine each time to start a new lobe.