I unpicked the orchid from the thin batting last weekend, then I put it on tearaway, used the thin batting in the turtle quilt, and then I surface stitched the orchid with matching threads. It’s now ready to be framed with a background fabric and finished off, though I’m not sure what I’ll do for either yet.
Meantime, here are some photos of the surface stitching I did in matching thread colours:
I added extra ‘vein’ stitching in a light pink thread on the large petals, as well as stitching with various darker threads on the deeper veins. On the lower petals, I used a pale variegated cream/blue/yellow thread and quite like the added ‘texture’ it gave.
On the back petal, I used lots of different coloured threads to reflect the paint colour going up the petal. I curved the stitching lines a little around the centre line to add the illusion of dimension.
In addition to the variegated cream/blue/yellow thread for the long slightly curved lines in these petals, I used three different threads for the tips — a yellow, a neon lime green, and a soft cream extending into the main part of the petal.
Again, I used a neon lime green thread in the green part (though only a little), and a lot of various coloured threads (from deep purple to pale pink) on the curved pieces to add dimension and ‘curviness’ to them.
Rhonda Bracey: At Random 
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