Harold the Hare SAL

It’s three weeks since I last showed you Harold and I have to say I’m quite amazed at the progress this time! I was getting to the point of thinking I’ll just get his head and shoulders done and frame it smaller…

Three weeks ago I’d just sorted out his nose!

I tackled his left ear first (as you look at it!) it was a bit ‘blocky’, I know that’s the techniques the designer uses, like a cross-hatching of stitches, but it is somewhat out of my comfort zone! I started adding some finer stitches to blend everything in a bit, most of the embroidery is stitched with three strands, I started over stitching with one or two threads, it seemed to work. Of course it would have been better if I’d done a little on one ear, then the same on the other, as it was by the time I came to do the right ear I had no idea which colours I’d used! Close up it looks a bit messy, but from a distance it looks OK.

I added some fine eyelashes, stitched in the highlight in his eye, whiskers will wait until I’ve finished the background…

There seemed to be an awful lot of stitching left on the main body. The original pattern only uses about 5 colours on a range – I think it was DMC 004 to 008, I started adding some warmer browns when I was stitching his face. I ended up with about ten different DMC threads in use, I also found a variegated one, not DMC, which is warm greys, browns, verging on purple. It helped to fill in a lot of the body fairly quickly as I got the colour change without changing my thread. Whilst this style of stitching is still out of my comfort zone, I do like the effect, a sort of ruffled fur look, in the close up you can see all the different colours, but they all come together nicely. The colour on the photo has come out more grey than brown, but you get the idea.

So Harold himself is now finished, though he does look like he’s hurt his paw, I’m not sure how that’s happened! I just need to do the background now, I’m thinking of a few grasses and tiny flowers around his feet. I think this is one of those projects when half the problem is knowing when to stop!

This stitch-a-long is organised by Avis, we share our progress every three weeks, please follow the links to see lots more stitching inspiration.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Jocelyn, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Sherrie

Linking up with Kathys Quilts too for Slow Stitching Sunday

About craftycreeky

I live in a busy market town in Yorkshire with my husband, kids, dogs and chickens. I love trying new crafts, rediscovering old ones, gardening, walking...anything creative really I started this blog after my New Year resolution worked so well. My resolution (the first one I've ever kept!) was to post a photograph of my garden on Facebook every day. My hope was that I would then see what was good in the garden and not just weeds and work, which was my tendency. The unexpected side-effect was that I have enjoyed many more hours in the garden. I am hoping that 'The Crafty Creek' will have the same effect. Happy creating!
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21 Responses to Harold the Hare SAL

  1. Harold the Hare is gorgeous, almost touchable – great effort is always rewarded when you sit back and smile.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Wow! It’s beautiful and its fur is very resembling, it seems to be walking!
    Hugs,
    Carmela

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Sharon says:

    Wow – Harold is one handsome fellow. Great job on him. Anxious to see the background with him 🙂 Stay safe and well.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Wow! He’s fantastic!! Love those lush lashes 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  5. kathyreeves says:

    No, he’s just getting ready to stand up on his back legs! Harold is looking quite handsome, knowing when to stop is a problem isn’t it? 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Ruth L. says:

    I think Harold is a stunner. That type of embroidery is so beyond my skill set that I can hardly imagine how it’s done. Kudos!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Harold is a real stunner, I love the texture of the stitches and look forward to seeing how you build up his background. Stay safe
    Jenny 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Sherrie says:

    Hi,
    He’s awesome! Beautiful details.
    Have a great day!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Laura says:

    Love all of the texture! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  10. magpiesue says:

    I suspect that technique would be out of my comfort zone as well. Thank goodness for variegated floss! He’s looking good though. I can well appreciate the challenge in knowing when to stop. 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  11. wybrow1966 says:

    Harold looks lovely and his face is full of expression.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Kim Sharman says:

    Your Harold the Hare is a gorgeous fellow. There is such beauty in the depths of his eye and as for the eyelashes…..so luscious! This piece of yours is magical.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. teamwilsun says:

    Wow, Margaret — Harold is so lovely! He looks fluffy and soft and very pettable. Beautiful work!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Catherine says:

    Harold looks wonderful! There looks to be a lot of stitching involved here. And as someone once told me, nature is never perfect, so I wouldn’t worry about not having the ears identical!

    Liked by 1 person

  15. claire93 says:

    Harold is gorgeous and just look at those eyelashes ^^

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Jocelyn Thurston says:

    Your eyes are wonderful! I know from doing needlepoint, eyes are very difficult to get right and to match. This is such a great project…reminds me of the bunnies we see around our property.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. The fur is amazing!

    Liked by 1 person

  18. rutigt says:

    Great progress!

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Carole says:

    Wow, all that texture. It looks amazing!

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Laura says:

    Amazing! I love the fur!

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Reblogged this on sketchuniverse and commented:
    HI LOVELIES, LET’S EMBROIDER
    TO DEPICT WHAT WE SEE. WE MAYBE WILL ACHIEVE SOMETHING BIG LIKE THIS GREAT WORK.

    Like

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