Master Craftsman Step #6 Judging Results

I see I have fallen behind in my blog posts again.  I will admit that life events have thrown me off track for a few months, but I am working to get back on schedule with things, and this is one of them.   

Quick update on Master Craftsman Step #6 -- it was returned to me as "Provisionally Passed" which means the judges wanted some things changed and/or improved before they would pass it in full.  Sometimes I think they just do that to feel powerful <g> but this time their objections were legitimate.  I had take a chance including metal threads, and my hunch was right.  The judges' comments were that they COULD have disqualified the piece entirely because of that, but they felt is was so  'exquisite' that they would allow me to just remove the metal threads.  Okay, I can live with that!    They also didn't like the two bigger butterflies, feeling that the bright colors were a bit overdone, and I agree with that!  I was under the time crunch and was not happy with them but sent the piece in anyway.  So I guess it would have been better to follow my hunches and just held off sending it in until I was totally happy with it!

So the past few weeks I've been making the corrections requested.  Had I known how difficult it was to remove the metal threads, I would have thought twice about taking THAT chance!  Good heavens, that was a chore!   Here is the hummingbird, re-stitched without the metal threads (I think he looked better with it, but then it's technically not crewel!):

Here is the new butterfly at the top of the piece -- I tried to lighten him up a bit since the comment was the stitch I had chosen was too heave.  Here, I am going for almost a dragonfly look:

And here is the new butterfly at the bottom of the piece -- again, replacing the bright orange I had originally with something a bit lighter and more in keeping with the overall piece:

I have a whole blog post planned around this butterfly -- no one piece of embroidery has ever given me as much of a challenge!!

I also neatened up the edge of the large leave you can see to the left of the butterly -- another criticism I agreed with.   The only other change they wanted was the make the raspberries round.  I will add a knot or two, but raspberries are not round!!   They are supposed to be bumpy edged and irregular, and that's the way I want them.  

So now, the next step is to wash and block it again, and get it ready to go back to the judges in September for the October 1st judging deadline.   Hopefully after that, I will be able to say I am an EGA Certified Master Craftsman in Crewel!  Fingers crossed...