Victoria is a really important subject in the history of Nimuë.
Originally I created it on a purple marbled canvas from Zweigart on Cashel or 11 threads per centimeter.
But that was in 2007!
I keep in memory certain moments of embroidery which touched me a lot and “nourished” me a lot. These moments of grace when I knew that a perfect harmony was exposed before my eyes. This is what a designer is looking for in his quest for Beauty, something is inscribed before his eyes, through his hands, almost without his knowledge.
It is also the first subject where I put watermarked primers .
I knew by creating it this way that a lot of elements would end up missing over the years and it happened very quickly…
Is this the end of Victoria?
First thing to miss: the Web!
Zweigart decided to discontinue the colorway the following year. I cry with them to convince them to continue for a while and that will be the case.
But 2 or 3 years later the source dried up again and definitively.
New canvas...
Finding nothing equivalent, I opted for a more intense mauve canvas also at Zweigart.
By choosing this painting I stay in the spirit of the subject.
This lasts a few years and then again the supplier stops this color and the quest for an equivalent fabric begins again…
I can no longer find a coherent option at Zweigart, so I turn to a French supplier of Belgian fabrics who also offers a slightly more intense mauve version.
Charms...
As for the Charms… They have almost all evolved but each time I try to keep the spirit of the subject. What counts above all is not to betray the first intention.
While teardrops, or ear jewelry, had disappeared for 5 or 6 years, I was able to find equivalents in another country… You have to dig constantly and it takes forever! I can say that only Au Ver à Soie metallic threads are those of the original creation.
To summarize: If I had to create the subject today, these are the (available) elements that I would choose.
Canvas Cyclamen...
In the meantime I was able to acquire a canvas, close to that of the start but without the marbling. A fabric whose color is called Cyclamen. This color is very soft, less contrasting than the mauve fabric. If, for example, you have a light interior, this canvas may be the right choice.
I only have a few coupons but if you are interested in this color know that it is available either separately or in the mini-kit.
Cyclamen 12-ply linen fabric
Very close to the original model, this plain cyclamen canvas will give an almost identical rendering.
Unfortunately I only have a few coupons so if you want this version of Victoria don’t wait too long!
Currently available: the mini-kit on cyclamen linen or the separate canvas plus the grid.
About Victoria’s Cyclamen canvas , one of you asked me what is the DMC tone for this canvas? Well it’s a mix of 3743 (too gray) and 153 (too pink). If I had to embroider this color, I would take one thread from each…
So we find ourselves having to mix one thread with another.
Sometimes even one material with another.
Sometimes that’s still not enough and somehow you have to do your own chemistry by mixing colors because the yarn manufacturer’s palette doesn’t offer THE right color.
It happened to me for example to embroider the main subject by mixing 1 cotton + 1 silk from Paris as in Archives. All the charm of the subject for the embroiderer lies in the headdress of the character made by this subtle mixture of silk and cotton. It may be indescribable to the eye but perfect for the feeling.
For Chestnut, the wings are made by mixing 1 DMC 3865 + 1 Hi-Lustre yarn (Iridescent flat lamé). In addition to giving its proper place to each color or material, it allows you to better control certain fragile or delicate threads.
So don’t hesitate to have fun with everything you have in your hands: the colors, the materials, and create your lair as an embroiderer alchemist…
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