The Queen's Nose Job

I wanted to do a stamp on my postcard to Kirsten. I'd carefully done the address in backstitch [having printed it out from the PC, then traced it with a frixion pen] 

I wanted a 1st class stamp, with the Queen, and without the new dotmatrix addition. The Jubilee Stamps are colourful, based on photographs. A bit too complex. But I decided to used the regular stamp, normally orangey red and white - but add extra colour.

Using Picasa, I reduced the colour image to a black and white version. I worked on a pink cotton base, with red voile on top, and cut out the silhouette in fine white cotton.

To add colour, I stitched the Queen's hair in brown, the crown in gold - and added coloured beads as gems, and white beads for her pearl necklace. To give an impression of perforations round the edge, I used narrow white ric rac braid.

This is how it looked the morning before I posted it. It wasn't quite right. I was very unhappy with the Queen's Nose. Far too long... In the end, I unpicked and restitched. It looked heaps better. I packed up the piece and posted it. And only then realised I had not taken a photograph of the Nose Job! 

Fortunately Kirsten posted it on her blog at the weekend. you can see the nose looks shorter. She's still designing her stamp. This month she did a beautiful little labyrinth in the opposite corner, with fabulous French Knots and a tiny heart, and sweet little seed stitches for grass..  I'm so enjoying this correspondence

Huge thank you to everyone who commented yesterday about the song - and I had remembered it wrongly. It was GET a new look, not TAKE a new look. Thank you all!!