The Pomegranate and Roses

I realised that I’d forgotten to put up a picture of the finished pomegranate – with it’s top on.
It’s Lurex couched down with a green DMC thread. You can see the brick couching of the red in the middle as well.
I wonder now whether I should have gone for evenness in the ‘wings’ of the top and partially covered the blue leaf, rather than making it as big as possible whilst fitting it in.
Next time, I think I’d partially cover the blue leaf, even if it is a non-Elizabethan approach. I have to make allowances for the fact that I made up and drew this design myself, apart from the gold curves, which are based on the Douce bible cover.

I’ve finished that silver-grey backgroud – yay!
I had terrible problems. Every fourth stitch or so, doing tent stitch, 5 across 2, I suddenly discovered that the next available hole horizontally meant that I had to do 5 across one, or leave a gap. So there are an awful lot of 5/1 stitches, partially covered over with 5/2 stitches as I made the correction with the following stitch. Then it’d happen again.
The overall effect is ok – you can’t really see the overstitching. I bought evenweave linen, but it doesn’t feel very evenweave to me after that experience!
My tension could be better – I’ve done loads of Bargello, but it hasn't been for years.
Next
Here’s a photo of a big gold rose with pearls, with a long green and gold stem extending from it, topped by a small red rose.

And here is the same pattern on the other side of the design – pointing out the opposite way. The bird is in between them.

I’m going to do this second big rose/stem/small rose combo next because I want to bring out the geometricality of the piece before working on more of the motifs on the sides.
I’ll do the small rose and the stem first.
Thankyou Julie for your present of 18% Jap thread, as I seem to have lost my tube of my more ordinary Jap thread, and it’s used in the stem.
I used Grecian twist on the existing rose, and want to order a similar, but different thread from the Berlin site, where I get all my goldwork supplies, for the other rose, all in the name of experience.
And then
If you click on
http://www.berlinembroidery.com/bullions.htm#bullions
or
http://www.berlinembroidery.com/couchedthreads.htm#milliary1
at Tanya Berlin’s site and scroll down you’ll bring up some pictures and descriptions of how different metal threads can be used.
For example :

(purl with pailettes every third purl - yummy)
or

(rococco threads)
I have a 8 small leaves to do :

I plan to buy small quantities of each type of thread, and try the examples out. I might have to find a couple of extra techniques.
So that’s me sorted for the next couple of months.
Yes, I have joined the Tudor and Stuart Gold MasterClass from Thistle Threads, but I’m not going to do the kits until I’ve finished my sampler.
The course is great! And the people in the class are wonderfully supportive of my endless questions.
Back to the Sampler, I’ve made enquires about finishing it from Ruth O’Leary of http://rutholearytextileart.blogspot.com/ and she very kindly provided me with a detailed method.
It sounds rather like an entire project in itself. Artist’s canvas backing with a rod to keep it straight, possibly curtain weights to keep it hanging straight down, then a ‘nice’ backing with a rod for hanging.
I’m not looking forward to sewing on the artist’s canvas!