Motifs: Originally, I wanted to use a Moorish inspired design, however as I continued sketching that direction just did not feel "right" for this project. I decided to change the motif and use crocus flowers for this project. Saffron is the stamens of the Saffron Crocus, and saffron is used in many Spanish dishes, especially Paella.
Crocuses mean "happiness and cheerfulness" and they are the first sign of Spring to me as they are the first thing to bloom in my yard. When I see the tiny flowers popping up in my front yard, I know the warmth of summer is around the corner!
Saffron Crocus.
Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Crocus_sativus1.jpg
Image showing the petals and stamens being separated. The stamen is the saffron spice that you can use in cooking. This photo is actually showing the process in Afghanistan, but I thought it was really beautiful.
Image from: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/11/09/5434845-saffron-replacing-heroin
Different types of crocuses.
Image from: http://www.downeastgrapevine.com/blog/view/id_100/title_new-for-april-at-visitmilbridge-com/
Colors: I was given the constraint that the dominate color be black, but I wanted to use Sangria-inspired jewel tones as the accents and for the embroidery. I thought about red wine, apples, lemons, oranges, grapes.
Embroidery in Process: Because I was using a mix of colors, I also wanted to use a mix of types of crocuses as I did not want the overall embroidery to have a "stripy" feel. I loved the vein or branch-like movement in some of the other varieties of crocus and I thought it would be lovely to have those textures present.
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