Here’s the Advent/Lent approach to the design. Using a violet dupioni silk and pale grey and black threads for the colour scheme.

Once I’d drawn the design onto the silk I set about working the design. I chose to go with a simple approach here while drawing on my tire changing experience (!)
I outlined each element in a split stitch and then working a filling in straight stitches. Somehow it made sense to me to go with something like the nut tightening pattern when you change a tire… top left, bottom right, left bottom and then right top… and then the other four in similar fashion. Who can say what on earth prompted this other than it struck me as balanced and I quite liked the windmill look halfway through!

Time to begin the outlining so that it stands out a little more. It looks like not much of anything really at this point, doesn’t it 😦

Keeping the whole straight stitch theme going, I worked a Holbein stitch all around the cross and also through the centre and then whipped all that in the same thread. The centre needed a bit more so I worked some little stitches there to add emphasis. I think it’s done. I’ve had to sit and look at it a bit and I’m not sure, I might go back and fiddle with it, or not. We shall see.
It is for Lent and Advent after all, quiet restraint yes? Spangles, no!

By the way, the cross measures three inches end to end. The veils will be about twenty three square inches. The chalice is eight inches tall.
The cross embroidery is positioned so that when the veils are in use it will be centred, so about four inches up from the bottom.

Thanks for reading.