You might recognise this latest design! I'm afraid it's not my own but that of Irish sculptor and artist, Gabriel Hayes. On 15 February 1971, Ireland’s currency was changed over to the decimal system. New designs were necessary for three decimal coins: the ½p, 1p and 2p. The designs are based on ornamental details from Irish art illuminations contained in old manuscripts.
Many of Hayes's sculptural works can still be seen around Dublin - you'll find a list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Hayes
This kit is actually my second coin design - I released the 1p kit back in May 2022. If you'd like to complete the collection, you can buy the 1p Celtic Bird kit here.
For the 2p design, I decided to go with a green/blue colour palette. I didn't want to stray too far from the 1p kit so that the pieces still look well together, but I do try not to repeat colours too much! It took me a while to finalise the placement of each colour though - especially for the section
filling the body of the bird! I don't know how many different ways I tried, but I hope you agree that i got the right balance in the end.
As for the stitches - we've gone back to some trusty reliables in the back, chain and satin stitches. But have have challenged you a little with some long & short shading and the new blanket stitch. If you haven't tried long & short stitch before this is a great way to try it out! We're mostly using the same light blue shade - so it's quite forgiving. Also, the more texture in this long & short the better because it'll look more like feathers! So don't be stressing about smooth stitches.
As always, the kit is available to Needle Nerd subscribers first. You can learn more about subscriptions here. The kit is also available to order as a once off purchase in the shop. Don't forget to send me photos of your work in progress or the finished piece! Or maybe you'll have the collection hanging up at home? I love seeing your work from all over the world! (you can also tag me on social media if that's more your thing)
Happy stitching
Alice x