Phase 2: Golden Fan

My JE phase 1 piece is complete. I finished lacing and mounting it this weekend, and it's ready to go to the framers, but my dad wants to see it first. Since I'm going down to see him next weekend for his birthday, I will take it with me and have it framed when I get back.

But the really exciting news is that my phase 2 materials have arrived! So what did I choose? Well, it will likely come as no surprise that I chose the piece that first sparked my interest in Japanese embroidery — this one:

I really love this fan. It's called Golden Fan and was designed for a conference in San Francisco — and apparently named in homage of the Golden Gate Bridge. I think the original colors are lovely, but I wanted to try something a bit more unique and a bit more personal.

When the materials arrived in the mail, I was even more glad I'd decided to choose my own. They apparently changed the color scheme at some point, and the design now looks like this:

The colors are pretty individually, but in this combination, I find them a little garish, almost aggressive in some way. It's probably a cultural or personal taste thing, but I am not a fan of this design in these colors. It's just a bit too much for me.

I had a slightly more subtle, elegant color scheme in mind. So as soon as I had completed the finishing process on my phase 1 piece and let it dry, I took it off the frame and set about framing up my phase 2 piece. I sewed my own cotton ends on this time (though Mary Alice serged the silk edges for me because I don't have a serger):

As you can see, it's all framed up and ready to go for my first lesson on it 13 days hence. (As an aside, can anyone tell me why they don't transfer all the pattern outlines of the design onto the fabric? Like where are the top edges of the fan?! Is it just to drive me to distraction trying to figure out where to place them? Because if so, it's working.)

And here, at long last, is the piece with the colors I've chosen to do it in:

Aren't they lovely?! They're all blues, purples, lavenders, grey-greens, and silvers. I've laid the colors out in the order they'll go on the blades of the fan so you can get a sense of how the color scheme will appear from left to right. The metal threads on the left will go over the various colors throughout.

I just think it will be so serene and peaceful. And it will go beautifully in my apartment. And although I reserve the right to change a color at some point if I feel it's necessary, for the moment, I couldn't be happier with my selections. I'm so excited to see how it turns out!