Lovely Embroidery . . .

I bought this beautiful piece of strawberry embroidery at Lakewood 400 Antiques several months ago. Many of the vendors at Lakewood sell textiles - tablecloths, linens, embroidery - and at very good prices, too. This particular piece is linen, and although the embroidery is only half-finished in certain areas, it is imprinted in each corner with the specifics about the manufacturer, the awards that the company has received, the names and color numbers of the silk thread that were included in the original kit, and all of this was written in a beautiful script font. I loved the colors and the details at first glance, and simply had to have it - and for only $20! Yes, there are small holes in the linen and small stains as well, but I'm hoping to have a local jewlery artist named Rachel Franco take this piece and make a beautiful necklace for me. Her technique is unusual - she uses small pieces of embroidery and cuts them into squares, mounting them on a surface to give the piece stability, then hangs them on antique chains. She adds beads/stones, etc., for embellishment, and the pieces are just so beautiful and delicate - you can visit her website at http://www.jala-designs.com/. Once I have my custom piece, I'm sure I'll feature it in a future post!