Quick peek at new project

Here's a quick peek at a new shading project I'm about to start! Some will recognize the image as I have a similar pattern in my shop called 'Bear and Fish'. Not so much a favourite with the pattern buying public (although I always think extra fondly of the people who do purchase it) but I have a soft spot for this Bear. Story goes he's a lighthouse keeper on a tiny island off the coast of France...

Compared to the shading projects I did earlier this year (a Rabbit called Lucky and Boris E. Morley)  this one is rather big so that makes it a whole different kind of challenge to me. By sizing up I hope to get even more detail into the piece. I'm also using a different type of fabric now. Usually I embroider on quilter's cottons but I figured if I'm going to spend many hours on making something I'd better choose a slightly fancier type of fabric. It's called cotton satin fabric (medium) and I bought it online in a store called Mace & Nairn, a UK based Hand Embroidery Supply shop. The cotton satin fabric looks and feels really nice and it's definitely sturdier than quilter's cotton. Will keep you all up to date with the progress of this new project!