But another design would just not let me alone and now the struggling is done and it stands before me complete and demanding to be the next one I introduce to you. Knowing it is always wise to heed such promptings :) it is my pleasure to present Coromandel.
What is Coromandel and what inspired it?
Coromandel is the western name given to Asian lacquered screens. Coco Chanel had a set of such screens that she prized highly and one of my favorite fragrances, Chanel's Coromandel, is named for them. It is a patchouli dominant scent, not hippie but think along the lines of Victorian ladies whose beautiful paisley shawls were redolent of the patchouli leaves strewn threw the chests in which they were shipped from India.
My idea was to design something reminiscent of such a screen, but it was simmering on the back burner when one day I received a spool of Vikki Clayton's Exemplar Black Iris Bud N Bloom silk floss. This is drop dead gorgeous floss and I knew at once it would be what I'd use for the monochrome design I had envisioned for Coromandel. After that the design had a life of its own. The motifs are based on some I've found in Edwardian and earlier era pattern collections combined and reimagined to become something that gives me the image I'd had in mind.
I hope to stitch this on a light yellow/gold fabric and while I think it could easily translate to whatever color one prefers, to me it needs that Exemplar Black Iris Bud n Bloom to feel like that lacquered screen. Btw, I see reviews at Vikki's site that say it is brown but to me it is all a perfectly variegated black/purple/mauve.
As usual, the pattern is free till it has been stitched. I hope you'll enjoy my fragrant lacquered screen :)
The pattern I'd originally planned to introduce this week is cooling its heels for a few weeks.
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