The Project that Stole my Week

This stole project has stolen my week.  But I'm loving it.

I've been commissioned to make  a liturgical stole to mark the installation of a new minister at a Unitarian-Universalist congregation in San Antonio, Texas.  The congregation has asked that the stole somehow represent the four seasons, as symbolized by four trees in the atrium of the congregational building:  Yaupon holly (ilex vomitoria) for winter, redbud (cercis) for spring, crape myrtle (lagerstroemia) for summer, and golden rain tree (koelreuteria paniculata) for fall.

To reflect those seasons, the stole will be reversible, with one side representing fall and spring and the other winter and summer.  Last week I finished piecing the fall and spring sides, and this week I  finished piecing the winter-summer side.

The trees themselves will be represented by a patch at the bottom of each side.  I've just finished the patches for winter and summer.

Winter patch

This patch shows Yaupon holly, the tree for winter.  On the right, I used photo transfer for an image of the tree as it appears in the atrium. On the other side, I made a closeup of leaves and berries, first sprinkling fabric confetti on the background then sewing down big berries and embroidering smaller ones.  For the leaves, I chose the garter stitch leaf pattern from Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments http://www.amazon.com/Nicky-Epsteins-Knitted-Embellishments-Epstein/dp/188301039X

But I had to go through a lot of different patterns and colors of yarn before I chose that pattern and that color.

I chose the garter stitch leaf because I thought it came closest to representing the serrated leaves of Yaupon holly.  They don't look quite like the holly we associate with Christmas.

The patch on the bottom of the summer side shows a crape myrtle growing in the congregational atrium. 

I was challenged by the flowers of this one because this tree grows its flowers in panicles of florets, millions of them.

I did my best with silk ribbon and pearl cotton.

 So the winter and summer patches are done.  Now I'll turn to the autumn and spring patches.  Wish me luck: how am I going to show the pods of the golden rain tree?