Revised sample fabric base

Following comment from Janet about the risk of the fairytale castle looking naff and the cliffs looking too small, I have revised the base fabric for the sample.

The revised base fabric

This is a piece of calico 30" x 15" Bondawebbed to Pelmet Vilene to give me a firm stitching base. Whist the sky has a pale sketched outline, I intend to stitch the main piece and then cut away the 'sky' element adding sky as a separate 'filmy' piece on a lightweight fabric - possibly organza supported with wire and attached to the stitched central area. The sea, river and stream will all be stitched separately and added.

The tree on the right of the piece will sit forward on the left of the piece as the cylindrical shape is created and will give continuity. It will be free-embroidered on a water-soluble support using an embroidery frame.

I have ideas for the sea, that extends in front and will be at right angles to the main sample; that is flat when placed on a surface. I want to form waves in the sea by making the waves separately and adding them to a basic blue sea creating a 3D effect. 

The corn and poppy in the right forefront of the left hand piece will create continuity between the left and central elements of the sample. 

I have considered the fore, middle and back of the sample. So, the waves, will be at the front. The corn in the middle and the tree at the back. I think that at the moment the curve from the front of the right hand element moving towards the bay at the bottom of the cliffs created a nice shape. It will be interesting as I intend to reverse this curve as it will face outwards when the sample forms a cylinder.  

I have been making some natural dyed fabrics using onions skins, both red and natural, tea and walnut ink and have some other natural dyes that I would like to incorporate into the sample as apart from the village, the central and left hand scenes are wholly natural. 

The castle in the previous sample is now a church but retains some of the detail from the castle that I likes as they involved the pathways and curves which I thought would be good to stitch. 

I have drawn the shapes of the cliffs in the central piece and will use the natural dyed fabrics to creat depth and light along with stitch. 

I am going to start stitching it in the next few days.