For saras_girl: Helix embroidery

[birdsofshore]

Happy New Year, everybody! I've been in a bit of a funny mood, so I haven't been around much, but things are definitely getting better. I want to post some recs and stuff later, and hope to be commenting a bit more and generally right in your face again.

However, I read and loved saras_girl's amazing advent fic, Helix. If you haven't caught up with this, it's an utter treat and full of SG's usual lovely mix of humour, hope, heart and hotness. Plus, SNAILS. Harry and Draco have to work together (love that trope) to protect the endangered frost snails, which can breed at Hogwarts only under very delicate conditions. The snails themselves are utterly gorgeous and inspired me to commit embroidery. I started this for SG's birthday, so you can see how long it took me *head desk*. I failed to make the snails as sparkly and magical as SG describes, and it turned out to be beyond my skills to photograph the glitteriness anyway, but I enjoyed taking a break from the kerfuffle of Christmas to try.

Dear saras_girl, thank you for another beautiful advent story. Reading each installment of your fic in bed was sometimes the only calm moment in a rather long day, and I fell for your snails hard. I do hope you like this! I'll send it off to you as soon as I get to the post office. ♥

Grateful thanks to raitala who is my sewing guru!

Comments

[divertazsc.livejournal.com]

Nat is a lucky lady, those are so cool.

[birdsofshore]

Aw, thanks, glad you like them!

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow! How utterly beautiful! Against the black background, they do look utterly magical.

My MIL used to do this kind of work, and I have several of her pieces. I love this kind of delicate work - it's something an instant gratification kind of gal like myself has no business trying, but I do admire it so. I think this is simply gorgeous!

[birdsofshore]

Thank you! I really enjoyed working against the black - it showed off all of the shiny fabrics and threads so nicely. Showed up my mistakes, too, but we won't mention that :D

My grandmother was a talented embroiderer and I wish I had half her skills. I wouldn't call mine very delicate but it was fun to do, and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Thank you so much for your encouragement.

[nia_kantorka]

I'm waiting til Nat's and Marie's Advent fics are on AO3 (can't read so much on the screen) and am sure they are both wonderful, but I love snails and yours are just beautiful.

Hope you are well, Birds?! Happy belatet New Year!

[birdsofshore]

Hi, Nia! I'm doing OK. Happy New Year to you as well. I'm sure you'll love this fic when you get to it. The snails are kind of heart-stealing.

[birdsofshore]

Thanks, dear!

[pauraque]

Ooh, fan-embroidery. Cool!

[birdsofshore]

I have a little tradition emerging of making embroidery for saras_girl's stories. She does create such wonderful creatures. Glad you liked it!

[lq-traintracks.livejournal.com]

I love what you did! I haven't read the story, but this is so pretty, and what a lovely tribute to the fic. <3

[birdsofshore]

Thank you! I really tried to make it as pretty as the snails are in the fic. I'm a sucker for anything sparkly, to be honest ;)

[dannyfranx.livejournal.com]

this is so beautiful! they are very sparkly indeed!

[birdsofshore]

\o/ Yay! I'm so glad you like them! I ran riot trying to find things that were sparkly enough. For future reference, in general, sparkly things are NO GOOD FOR EMBROIDERING WITH, but I just steamed ahead and did it anyway ;)

[omi-ohmy.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, those snails are gorgeous! I love how you've done their shells, so delicately. And the sparkly trails! <3

I haven't finished reading Helix yet, but I've read enough to think that you have captured their sparkly magic. Just lovely, and lucky Nat. :)

[birdsofshore]

Thank you so much! You'll love it when you get to finish it, I am sure. I started on this as soon as I read the first scene with the snails in, but Christmas totally got in the way and I kept trying to source SPARKLIER and SPARKLIER things to make it with :D

[piratesmile331.livejournal.com]

That is unbelievably gorgeous!

[birdsofshore]

Thank you very much indeed. The description of the snails was so lovely in the fic, I couldn't resist trying.

[khalulu]

Oh, with their sparkly frost trails and their waving eyestalks! Lovely, and endearing just like the frost snails themselves and their story. POP! POP!

Happy New Year to you too.

[birdsofshore]

Ah, glad you like them! I was really happy with the eyestalks - I did french knots and got all proud of myself :D

I'm glad you find them endearing - the originals are, so much <3

[gracerene]

Aww, that's so lovely! I agree for sure on Helix, such a wonderful read!

[birdsofshore]

Thank you, grace! What a lovely advent fic it was.

[veritas03.livejournal.com]

How cool! And beautiful - and definitely sparkly. What a lovely gift! ♥

[birdsofshore]

I'm happy you like it! I got a bit carried away with the sparkliness, but I was enjoying it too much.

[firethesound]

This is so pretty! You do really lovely needlework. <3

[birdsofshore]

Aw, thanks, my dear. It's very basic but the snails sort of speak for themselves. Every time I do embroidery I resolve to do more as it is so enjoyable. Beware or you may get a bad embroidery of a fic of yours ;)

[nenne.livejournal.com]

What an amazing gift! Go you! :D

[birdsofshore]

I'm happy you like it!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_hannelore/]

Oh my goodness, those are gorgeous snails! You do such lovely work. Glad to see you around more, Happy New Year and take care. ♥

[birdsofshore]

Ah, thanks my dear. I'm looking forward to more LJing coming up. Thank you for your enthusiasm about my sparkles :D

[fantasyfiend09.livejournal.com]

This is so fabulous! I love that you have conveyed Nat's beautiful snails in the form of embroidery. They are so shiny and sparkly and pretty! Lucky Nat! Sweet you!

[birdsofshore]

Thank you, I'm so pleased you like them! I loved making something for Nat, because she gives us all such pleasure <3

[huldrejenta.livejournal.com]

These are wonderful!

I haven't read the fic yet, but if reading the recs and loving the writer wasn't enough to make me want to read it, this certainy would be :D

[birdsofshore]

Thank you so much! The fic is extremely charming - I know you'll love it.

[candamira.livejournal.com]

Your snails are too sweer and sparkling snails are FTW anyway! Great gift, and they really look like frost snails, silvery as they are.

I'm looking forward to reading both advent fics of saras_girl and dannyfranx on my Kindle. Somewhere between finishing Erised and starting HBB :-)! Reading all the things I want to read efforts quite an efficient time management ;D!

[birdsofshore]

Whoa, there are so many things to read. I'm amazed at how much some people manage. I set out to read 3 or 4 advent fics but quickly had to give up on all of them except SG's.

I'm happy you think the snails look frosty and sweet!

[saras-girl.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, these are amazing! They sparkle! [And let me empathise on trying to sew with anything sparkly, it is a nightmare, and I appreciate the work it must have taken to wrangle it.] THE EYESTALKS THOUGH. They are adorable. Thank you so much. I am so looking forward to seeing them *hugs you tight* ♥

[birdsofshore]

You're so very welcome. It was a pleasure. And I DID FRENCH KNOTS! They just did what they were meant to and I was so pleased. The silveriness was a foolish thing, really. The fabric I chose was so inappropriate for applique but I was stubborn and made it do my will via mystical bondaweb and all kinds of things. The worst bit was the thread for the trails. I was delighted when I found it, as it is sort of iridescent, but it was soooo hard to stitch with. In the end I decided to just let it be all wayward when it wanted to... snails' trails are not exactly neat and perfect things, so I'm letting myself off the hook there :D

Thank you for writing such fun things to embroider!

[writcraft]

I love these, Birds <333

They are so cute and sparkly. What a lovely gift!

[birdsofshore]

I have the emotional age of 4 when it comes to sparkly things, so this was an irresistible project for me. :D I'm very glad you like them.

[anemonen.livejournal.com]

Omg these are so adorable! I'm seriously impressed by your embroidery skills! Still haven't read that fic, though. Looking forward to it when I've got through Erised :)

[birdsofshore]

Oh, thank you! I don't think my skills are up to much, but applique is fun and simple to do. I know you'll love the fic when you get to it!

[smirkingcat.livejournal.com]

wow!
this is really cool and cute at the same time
that is really great handwork
awesome!

[birdsofshore]

Thank you very much. That's a lovely compliment.

[birdsofshore]

Thank you very much! I take that as a big compliment. The frost snails were so deliciously magical, I wanted to make them as pretty as I could.

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous!

[birdsofshore]

Thank you!

[meepison.livejournal.com]

These are just lovely! I admire your talent!!

[birdsofshore]

Ah, this was 10% inspiration and 90% ham fistedness and swearing, but it was fun doing it :D