This purchased tunic in a cotton/linen provided the perfect background for my new Bee Stencil. I loved the neutral colors of the taupe and cream color combination, so I decided to further enhance the color scheme by painting the bees in gold and silver Neopaque paint. I have already washed this garment several times, and the paint has not faded one bit.
I embellished the design with a bit of hand embroidery using a simple running stitch which was done with 6 strands of DMC cotton embroidery thread. I did a backstitch periodically to keep the threads from pulling or puckering.
I even made a necklace and bracelet to match using freshwater pearls with gold and silver spacer beads. It was my first piece of jewelry that I had ever made, and I am so happy with the way it turned out.
I wore this tunic to my opening at the Sewell Gallery in Eureka, CA, with a really beautiful gun metal gray metallic chiffon scarf that my friend Nancy Branch gave me for Christmas last year. The scarf added the perfect finishing touch.
