With the help of embroidery, you can decorate the interior of your home and make it more stylish. Nowadays, you can find many techniques of execution. This article talks about how to make a cross-stitch peacock embroidery and what you need for this.
The Meaning of Peacocks in Eastern Tradition
The peacock bird symbolizes immortality, long life, family, compassion. The peacock can predict bad weather because it begins to move in a special way before a storm. In China, a peacock feather was given to a worthy person upon receiving a new rank for distinction, and this meant the emperor's approval.
Ancient manuscripts say that "the brilliant splendor of the peacock's tail is the reason for comparing it with the eternal gods, and therefore with immortality. Since ancient times, the peacock's tail has been a sign of the all-seeing sun and eternal cosmic cycles."
In the Christian faith, this bird was considered a symbol of the Resurrection. This was said because the bird constantly changed its feathers, and its meat was considered to be always fresh. Its feathers also signified saints, because they were very similar to a halo. A peacock sitting on a sphere or orb symbolized the ability to rise above simple things.
Tools and materials for embroidery
Below are the basic materials and tools for the work. It is important to emphasize that all items must be of high quality, especially needles and floss.
Holders
Almost all embroidery is fixed in hoops, they make the sewing process easier and improve its quality. Round holders look like two wooden rings that fit into each other. It is good if the rings are made of linden wood, because it is quite light and durable.
Threads
Mouline threads are mainly used for embroidery. These threads have a wide range of colors. Good floss will be thick, smooth, and can also hold color for a long time. Before starting embroidery, you can put a skein of threads in warm water, and if it is colored, then they are of poor quality.
Scissors
This tool should be very sharp so that it can easily cut the thread and not fluff it up. For a small picture, you can use manicure scissors. In other cases, tailor's scissors will do.
Needles
Needlewomen use well-polished steel needles for their work. The tool must be selected taking into account the material on which it is necessary to work and the density of the floss.
When working on thin fabrics (silk, chintz, thin cotton fabric), use a small, thin, fairly sharp needle. On denser materials, also work with a small needle, but with a wide eye. For work on canvas and thinned fabric, it is better to take a thin needle with a blunt point.
Measuring tape
This is one of the important tools for every craftswoman. It is necessary already when transferring a drawing to measure the canvas, correctly position the image, etc. For large works, you can use metal rulers.
Markers
Some people still use soap or chalk the old-fashioned way, but modern craftswomen prefer disappearing markers.
They do not soak into the fabric and disappear after the first wash. But when buying, you need to be careful, as there are waterproof markers that will never be removed.
Features and difficulties
Cross stitch "peacocks" has its own characteristics and difficulties. The main difficulty in embroidering a peacock for beginners is that it will be quite difficult for them to make the details of the tail. It is necessary to use colored threads and carefully make each seam.
The embroidery will take a long time, so you need to be patient. Also, there may be problems when transferring the design to the canvas, because it has many small elements that also need to be drawn.
When working, you will have to use several embroidery techniques. If the peacock is sitting on a branch, then the petals must be made with a stem stitch, and the bird's tail with a French stitch.
Attention! Embroidery with a peacock will be a great gift for a loved one. Therefore, it is recommended to place it under glass or cover it with varnish, since it is not advisable to wash the canvas.
3D diagrams
You can buy various patterns with a peacock in stores. It can be in any pose or on a beautiful background. Patterns with a three-dimensional pattern are very valuable. In ready-made kits you can find all the materials for doing such embroidery.
3D embroidery will make the painting more realistic.
The 3D embroidery kit includes:
- a work diagram with a detailed description of all shades of floss;
- base (in addition to cotton, you can buy canvas with a large cell, made of silk, wool or chintz);
- an additional organizer that contains threads, needles and a holder.
It is quite easy to do the work with the 3D effect using the set. But you can make the scheme yourself.
The main problem is to find a drawing with a ready key for distributing floss colors for each detail. The peacock is made in more than 10 colors. For beginners, it is advisable not to make large-sized paintings.
Monochrome schemes
Monochrome embroidery continues to gain popularity. These are pictures made in one or two colors. A black and white picture with a peacock looks very beautiful. White birds on a black canvas, and vice versa, will add style to any room.
If you need to make the embroidery process easier, then you can buy a ready-made kit for working in the cross-stitch technique.
The main features of this embroidery:
- no empty cells;
- continuous row embroidery;
- since one tone of thread is used, then to obtain various shades, colors are combined. The main one with white gives a very light tone, the main one with brown - a darker one. The number of white and black threads can be adjusted as desired;
- Some people use melange thread, so the colors don't need to be mixed.
Before starting work, it is recommended to wash the canvas so that it shrinks. After that, dry it well and iron it. The embroidery base should be at least 20 cm larger than the holder. In this case, the picture will not move and fly off the hoop. It is necessary to try to do all the crosses correctly, because it will be quite difficult to rip and redo them. You can combine several stitching techniques in your work, for example, cross stitch and satin stitch.
Peacocks are often made with diamond mosaics or completely embroidered with beads. In any case, this bird looks luxurious.
On various sites for needlewomen you can find many monochrome patterns, for example, cross-stitching a bird sitting on a sphere together with a dove or owls. There are many variations on this theme.
The cross stitch of the peacock looks very luxurious. Such a picture can be placed in the living room or presented as a gift. Beginners are advised to watch a master class on embroidery to understand the complexity of the work process. It is necessary to remember that any embroidery is done only in daylight, so as not to spoil the eyesight.
