the embroidery here is slow and deliberate and i thought what if i post a closer look at the stitching. there are many thoughts here. it is difficult to communicate the nature of a textile sometimes because the appreciation is in the feel of it and the detail is part of that.
first of all, i suggest clicking on the images to see them enlarged.
the indigo thread is incredible. i may be the only person on earth with this thread. it is a weaving yarn. plied using 2 shades of indigo. custom made by a mill i worked for. it abrades as you sew. the instant wearing in not of this world. i have worked the stitches closely, they are raised above the surface. 
varying the tone of a color theme adds an antiqued look. overemphasizing the fading idea. i may be getting in deep here but dyes fade differently and if you pick up an old worn textile you find unexpected colors. i feel it is important to understand this. and why it happens and the beauty of this variation is almost not reproducible. but. though food for further thought...blue is not just one color and so, (like baking cookies), substituting one blue for another or even a color close in the family creates a similar result with movement within a color theme and i feel this is very unexplored. i am exploring.
i am also intrigued by the direction of a stitch. filling an area with a stitch is often given character by the stitch itself, but the direction of the stitch will also give you variation and thus enhance the texture of a piece. there is a lot of emphasis put on the stitch. but in looking at primitive textiles, it is amazing to find pattern variations produced from the most simple and functional stitches. i tried using a simple split stitch moving in a spiral and i find this an amazing variation, simply because of the way the light reflects the direction.
it has me spinning.
and so i come back to another simple stitch, used to tack down a ragged edge. and because the thread is that fading indigo some bizarre ancient mosaic results. if i am ramblng here it is because i am very happy with the results of this piece and i am encouraged to break these thoughts down into smaller elements from now on.
(continuation of previous post)