Hot Air Balloon Embroidery Project

 I finished the stitching on another of the motifs in the Hot Air Balloon embroidery pattern set.  This one features a balloon caught in a storm.

For the clouds and wind I used variegated color floss. I love to use this floss because the progression of color along the floss gives a sense of movement.  This effect is perfect for stitching storm clouds!  All of these lines are done with Stem Stitch:   

For the sun, I used Stem Stitch and Straight Stitch. 

The balloon is outlined with Back Stitch.  The middle curved line is Double Knot Stitch and the other two are Stem Stitch. The "rosettes" on the middle curved line and the bottom curved line are Buttonhole Stitch. The top curved line has French Knots The big pink X's are Stem Stitch with a Cross Stitch at each center point. 

The basket is outlined in Back Stitch.  The top half is Whipped Stem Stitch.  I used Straight Stitches for the fill: 

I am recording all the details about this project for my embroidery journal: 

Here is the list of floss colors I used: