Raven Postcard #2: Raven By The Sea

Raven by the Sea photo (8x10") above the Raven by the Sea postcard (4x6 or so)

There's one week left for those of us still interested in completing Raven postcards for the Edgar Allen Poe 200th birthday celebration. This is my second card and the inspiration comes from another of my Ireland 2007 photographs - this one is another Jackdaw, of the same tribe/family as Raven.
Sewing machine set-up with photo in plain view while I am sewing.

All embroidery sewing must be done with some type of stabilizer. For this one, I chose a tear-away which here is shown from the back of the embroidery being cut away, instead. You may not be able to tell in this photo, but the Raven is not fully free motion embroidered at this time. Only the basic sewing has been done, the rest will be completed after the landscape is finished.

After the tear-away is removed, a thin cotton/poly batting is added (with a touch of 505 Spray & Fix. The image is printed on organza and needs a stabilizer to maintain it's proper form without stretching. Now it's time to figure out how to represent the rock formations...

I decided to use the pebble fabric, but with the back side showing front. Then I used some dark gray/brown colored pencil to further subdue the fabric and make it recede into the landscape.

The rocks are free-motion embroidered, then the waves of the sea are embroidered from right to left in varying shades of blues and grays. Once the background has been completed, the Raven can then be completed.