This is my first attempt at stitching with the designs. It took me a while to understand how I should do it but I think I got it right...I 'tacked' the lines from the design drawn on the muslin on the back layer, embroidered along these lines on the 'right side' and then cut away to reveal the first cross. Then I repeated the process with the second layer of fabric.
I'm very happy with the result and am brimming with ideas for further samples.
Upon reflection, I notice that my favourite samples seem to use a combination of metallics and texture, although, unwittingly, they seem to be using the same colour/print combinations. I will attempt to exploit this theory using different textures and metallics from my 'stash' in my next samples.
I really like all the fabrics that I have used here. I love the frayed roughness and transparency of the yellow scrim and the textural contrast of the gold metallic cross stitch. The smoothly woven blue linen cotrasts strongly in colour and texture to the coarse orange & yellow space dyed noil silk background, yet the gold stitching and yellow print help to integrate the blue linen with the other layers.
I am really happy with this design. The only metallic used in this sample is the small violet stitching used to integrate the dull gold layer with the background fabric. The random dyed cotton pearle thread, along with the randomly printed blue fabric on the top layer seem to make the design appear quite simplistic (perhaps rustic?), even though the layers are quite intricate. The dark violet background fabric makes the lacey pattern of the lighter fabrics stand out well.
Another simple, rustic design. I like the way the blue cross stitch edging to the printed fabric ties in with the frayed linen, and works to seperate the similarly coloured cross on the top layer from the background fabric. 
I am glad, at this point, that I heard from Sian. I have been thoroughly enjoying stitching pretty little 'cross' samples and slipping back into my comfort zone of geometric harmony!
For this sample, I chose to push the boundaries and make my design slightly asymetric. I stitched and cut the organza on the 'other side' of my 'tacking lines'. The double row of metallic stitching helps to distinguish the edge of the organza, which, in some lights, is hard to see, although I do like the way it changes the tone of the blue printed fabric where it lies on top of it.
At Sians suggestion, I have bought 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain', in the hope that it will help free up my designing. I still fail to see anything particulary pleasing in this design, although I can see that it is more interesting than the geometric ones. It also took me a long time to decide exactly where and how the top layer of organza should be positioned, so I would not have stitched it into position if I wasn't happy with the arrangement.....?
To take things to complete extreme I decided to use three layers of the same cross in varying weights of fabric, but in similar shades. The only colour cotrast/accent being the indigo stitching around the square central element of the cross. In a concious effort to break rules I left the ends of the thread loose on the surface. I like this.
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