Beginning a New Stole for Joy's Ordination

I received an inquiry several months ago about creating an ordination (i.e. red) stole for Joy who will be ordained in August 2013.  A beautiful box of materials arrived in the mail a few weeks ago.  Included in the lot was a piece of lime green silk with a special request to include some of it in the stole.  These materials were donated by Joy's friends and family, and the green silk is a reminder of her grandmother.  Also note in the first image a striking tie of skulls.  The label indicates that this tie was designed for the Richard Leakey museum in Kenya, and the skulls shown are from our Home sapien ancestors.  My husband, who is my "tie-taker-aparter" recognized the skulls as being Homo erectus, Home habilis, and Australopithecus.  Apparently this tie belonged to Joy's father and is one of her favourite ties as well as being a family classic.

This gorgeous collection of red ties and a couple of scarves arrived a few weeks ago from Oregon.

This tie has a striking flower motif.

I decided to start with the flower motif--here I was auditioning the materials that I might piece around it.

The flower motif framed with some of the lime green silk and the skull tie.

Starting the layout of the stole.

The piecing progress so far.

Detail--this will be at one lower edge.