Progress on Doily and Neck Design

I have made a little progress on the doily and the neck design projects. I am doing both the projects simultaneously, so that I could make some progress on both. The center flower on the doily is almost finished (but I am having trouble embroidering on the satin fabric), and in the neck design, I am focusing on the blue flowers, hoping to finish them today or tomorrow. Here are the pictures.

Have a happy Monday and a great week ahead!

Neck Design Project Update

Here are some photos of the neck design I am embroidering now. I finished the big pink flower at the bottom of the design and now am moving on further upward. But it doesn't look like more progress, does it?

Embroidered Neck Design---Progress

Exploring Long and Short Stitch Variations in My Neck Design

This is my progress so far on the neck design! I’ve been slowly bringing the floral motifs to life, and as you can see, the two large pink flowers are finally taking shape. Each time I sit down to work on this piece, I’m reminded why I love embroidery so much — every single stitch adds dimension, personality, and a story of its own.

Now, if you take a closer look at the two flowers, you might notice a subtle difference between them. Can you spot it? Both are worked in long and short shading, but the technique I used for each flower is slightly different — and that small variation has created two very distinct visual effects.

For the first flower, I used a method where I did not split back into the previous rows of stitches. Instead, I began each new row by inserting the needle at the endpoints of the stitches from the previous row. This approach results in smoother transitions between rows, with a more satin-like surface. The color blending feels more directional, creating a layered, petal-like texture. From what I’ve read and observed, this method seems to be quite common in East Asian embroidery traditions, where precision and surface smoothness are emphasized.

For the second flower, I used the traditional splitting method, where each new stitch pierces or overlaps the stitches from the previous row. This creates a much softer blending effect — the colors seem to melt into one another, giving the flower a more painterly, natural look. It also adds a touch of texture, since the stitches interact more with each other.

It’s fascinating how such a small change in stitching technique can make such a big difference in the final outcome. The first flower appears more structured and crisp, while the second looks softer and fuller. Both have their own charm, and together, they add richness and variation to the overall design.

Working on this neck design has been a wonderful exercise in patience and observation. Sometimes, I find that experimenting on the same motif — using slightly different methods — teaches me more than following a fixed pattern ever could. Each stitch becomes a little experiment, a chance to understand how thread, tension, and direction interact with light and fabric.

I’m still working my way through the rest of the piece. The leaves and smaller flowers are next, and I’m planning to continue experimenting with stitch variations to see how they influence the overall look. I’ll be sure to share more progress soon — hopefully with both of these pink blossoms fully completed and glowing against the dark background fabric.

Have you ever tried using two different methods for long and short stitch in the same project? I’d love to hear about your experience and which effect you prefer — the smooth precision of the first, or the soft blending of the second!

Embroidered Neck Design---Progress

Do you remember this one? It’s a project I had to set aside some time ago because I ran out of threads right in the middle of stitching. I didn’t want to substitute colors and risk losing the harmony of the design, so I decided to wait until I could get the exact shades I wanted.

Now that I finally have all the threads ready, I’m excited to start working on it again! There’s something so satisfying about returning to a piece after a break — it feels a bit like catching up with an old friend. I’ve made just a little progress so far; I’ve added a few leaves to the design and started planning the big pink flower that will bloom on the right side.

The leaves are bringing lovely life and balance to the composition, and I can already imagine how beautiful the finished piece will look once that large flower is completed. Sometimes, even slow progress feels rewarding. Each stitch adds a bit of color and joy. I’m looking forward to sharing more updates as this embroidery comes back to life!

Books I purchased recently

I wrote in my previous blog post that I recently purchased some embroidery books online. You can see these books in the images below. I will write the review of these books in the coming days.





Out of these books, the books Long and Short Stitch Embroidery (I have already reviewed here) and Cross Stitch: Techniques and Designs were gifted to me.

I have ordered for some more books and eagerly waiting to read them, to learn the techniques explained in them, and above all to see all the lovely images they contain.

I forgot to show you the photographs of the finished embroidery for the V-neck design. Here they are:



A close-up photo of the design.

V-Neck Design---More Progress

I am going to finish the V-neck embroidery. Below are the pictures taken yesterday. I wish I complete it today.

Neck patterns

I am embroidering two different neck patterns at present.

The first is a V-shaped one.



I decided to use satin stitch for the flowers, however after completing the first flower now I am thinking it would be better to use buttonhole stitch which would be less time consuming than satin stitch. For the leaves, I am using lazy daisy stitch and for the stems, stem stitch.



The second neck design is an intricate one and contains lots of elements to embroider. Take a look at the images below. I kept this project aside a month ago as I was running out of threads. Now after buying the threads I have started the project again.

Embroidered neck design

This is a paisley neck design I embroidered on a tunic recently.



I chain stitched the outlines of the paisley design and used green and cream color sequins and mirrors to decorate the design.



Completed design:



These are the materials I used.

My latest needlework projects

It has been a long time since my last post. I have been busy doing some interesting projects. I embroidered a bunch of flowers on a pillow cover.



I satin stitched the petals of the daisies (pink and white) and I used chain stitch to fill in the petals of the big flower and its bud (can't guess the name of the flower). The flower centers are done in yellow french knots. For stems it is stem stitch. For the big leaves I used three different stitches: satin, Roumanian couching, and long and short. The tiny leaves are done with lazy daisy stitch.
Some of the closeup shots of my work:







Next, I embroidered a neck design. I used mirrors and zardosi threads (golden metal wires).

Now am embroidering a saree using stones and sequins. Here is one of the embroidered flowers.