Jerusalem of Light by Bracha Lavee, sale price of 137. 9″ x 9″ on 18 count.
Jerusalem of Light seems like a perfect piece to do a blackwork pattern in a high lustre gold thread. Cover the entire canvas in one, or more patterns in one or more metallics and the piece will glow in a veil of light. This technique has circled the internet using a repeating square but try nearly ANY kind of blackwork stitch, or multiple on the same piece. Sometimes a geometric contrasts to a painterly organic piece of art but there’s so many patterns its time to think outside the box. I have suggested this to several customers and send them home with Julia Snyders Everything Blackwork ($44). Most patterns show the travel pattern of your needle to get you in the groove. There are more simplistic patterns than those in the book that would be better suited to Light of Jerusalem but you get the idea.
Everything Blackwork by Julia Snyder
Detail of Brenda Hart’s stitching, canvas by Lani (not available)
Overall image of Brenda Hart’s concentric squares on Lani Canvas
Detail / similar technique on canvas by Alice Peterson
Not Exactly Blackwork, by Finger Step Designs $19.
Chinese Blackwork by Finger Step Designs $18.50
Just think how much faster you can finish a complicated canvas and how much less you will spend in threads.