One of my earliest embroidered portraits was of Coccinelle, France's famous cabaret singer and also Europe's first recipient of a widely publicized gender reassignment.
This is also the first and only piece that I worked entirely in rayon floss. The look is shimmery and pearlescent, which suits Coccinelle nicely, but rayon is so slippery and difficult to stitch, that I never worked with it again after this piece.
Here's Coccinelle in action. Singing a cheeky and playful song asking, not so innocently, "Mais, qu'est-ce que j'ai donc?" ("What is it about me?"). And, that lithe young man who is the last to take a seat in the at the table? The one with the feathery blond pompadour? Mmmmhm.
Link
Link to Wikipedia entry on Coccinelle
