Growing shamrocks

There are three distinct areas in Nenah Stone's Molly O'Beagle canvas: the sky in the background; the dog in the center; and the shamrocks in the foreground. So in selecting a thread for the shamrocks, I needed something that would provide a higher profile as well as being green!

Rummaging through my stash, I pulled out two distinctly different threads that would meet my requirements: Petite Very Velvet and Silk & Ivory. When I held up the three shades of PVV to the canvas, they turned out to be too dark--I needed brighter greens. So the Silk & Ivory won!

I started working on the veins of the shamrocks first, using S & I "Honeydew" in tent stitch--a bit tight on 18-count canvas but still do-able. This helped define the segments of the shamrocks, making it easier to then work the rest of the plants in satin stitch with S & I "Kelly," the lighter shade, and "Emerald." To make the shamrocks stand out even further, I filled in the areas around them with DMC floss #911 in basketweave.

I'll continue working on the shamrocks but I'll avoid the areas which overlap the white on the dog's chest so as not to create problems for myself down the road!