Tola's Vigil Book

In what seems to be a trend (I like this trend!) I was asked to create a vigil book for Tola. I really wanted to call to mind her work with German brickwork, even though I hate counted embroidery (and do not hate it less for having done this project. Oops.)
The colored parts of the project are worked in splendor silk, using two strands, and all of the white portions in linen thread. In hindsight I wish I had used 3 strands of the silk. The blue and red just don't cover as well as I'd like them to.
I used a pattern from the Hildescheim Cope, found at the most amazing repository for brick stitch patterns, wymarc.com. (Really, visit that website!)
I changed the colors to match Tola's device, and adjusted the positioning so that it could be a vertically symmetrical band on the top and bottom of the book cover.

I left the period of brick stitch in order to create the device itself. It's fairly simple heraldry, but it wouldn't have lent itself well to being worked in a counted way. I also really wanted to use some laid work for the trellis, because it just fit so well. So the yellow base is long satin stitches covered by the blue laid stitches. The outline and yellow circles are split stitches.
The red bit actually is worked in a brick stitch style, because it seemed a good way to tie the motif back in with the borders, but I wish it had covered the white better. I tried three strands, but that felt too bulky, and after I realized that the slightly uneven weave made two strands too little it was too late to really fix anything.

I had a lot of versions of this book that I was aiming for. I know that given all the time in the world I wanted the borders to wrap around to the back, and the background to be filled in, and a laurel wreath on the back. I also knew that probably wouldn't happen in the time I had.
Unfortunately I didn't even get past my first goalpost - the bands on the front and a finished device. (This was at least in part due to losing a week off my working time because of Real Life.) But it is made in such a way that I could finish it even though it's already in book cover form. I especially would love to finish the bands - I didn't think of the fact that the thinner fabric (because it's for counted work!) would show the folds I use to create the cover. It's covered by embroidery in the front, but the back has some very apparently fabric lines.

I learned a lot in working on this book. I went outside my comfort zone, which is a good thing to do. But I also think I was overambitious, which is less good. 
All pictures in the post are courtesy of Tola herself, because I failed to take some before the elevation occurred. 

Remy's Vigil Book - Finished Product

The long awaited (for no good reason) end to the saga of Remy's vigil book.

 I miscalculated on the width of the velvet, and so the edges that wrap around the book covers are a little shorter than is ideal. The cover is a bit prone to falling off. If it's annoying for him then I'll add some width to those. But hey, it also means that it's easy to take the cover off so he can use it like a normal book without worrying about being delicate with it, if he so chooses.