sister_raphael | Ex Libris Banner. The start.

The start of something squirrely for Ex Libris Living History !

I really didn't want to make a group banner, and you may remember I painted a group shield for processions, but the other couple of members are very much hoping for one, so I gathered some fabric and had a bit of a think with Vikki, my co-plotter, about how we could do this when I'm so time poor at the moment.

My first thought was a silk banner with our shield squirrel painted on, and I had two types of silk I could use, but I really didn't want to use real silk if I was unsure of the results, so I considered wool.

I had some left over double sided wool in gold and pale cream, so that was an option.

As for the squirrel itself, I was online shopping when I came across what looked like embroidered wool squirrel cushions. There were a number of poses but one more suitable than the others, so I ordered a couple. Why a couple? Potentially, the young man with the banner will have a surcote also. The cushion covers arrived and I was gutted to discover the embroidery was printed on. After a short while and several long, hard stares, it was apparent that unless one was standing extremely closely, it wasn't obviously a print.

I placed it on the fabric and took a photo from standing height. This is the result:

My nefarious plan from this point is to applique the squirrel carefully so the black doesn't show, and them add some nice couching as well.

I think it'll do the job it needs to.