So, you thought my owls looked more like a self-portrait, huh? Well, you were not alone, so I decided to have a go at a foliate head as well.

Following the owl symbol, another one regularly seen in church architecture is the foliate head. It's often known nowadays as the "green man" and ascribed meanings of fertility and paganism. The original meaning of the versions seen as curvings on ceiling bosses and as gargoyles - on which this version is based - will probably never be known, so you can see whatever you like in it. Including a self-portrait, if you really must.

You'll need to work out the stitching sequence which best fits your style. I found it easiest to stitch all the palest green first, then the mid-green leves and finally the dark green centre. This does get remarkably fiddly towards the end, but the alternative involves stitching a few of the pale greens under the mid-greens. Take your pick.

I've found that the easiest way to mount these things is to discard the backing provided with the keyring and instead stick 50mm masking tape to the back of the finished design. Then, draw round the outside of the circular acrylic "lid" with a soft pencil and trim to the inside of the line. The tape will hold the fabric together long enough to get the design lined up in the keyring at which point one adds a neat piece of cotton backing and crams the lid on before it all unravels.