Finally, some embroidery

I've been dividing the little stitching energy I have between my local EGA chapter's summer challenge (which can be revealed in the fall)and the EGA Challenge with a Twist (which can be shown along the way). Here's where I am with the Challenge with a Twist.

I've focused on the water (midground) and tried to show the background, midground, and foreground of that with thread thickness, stitch length and the density of the rows. I've been experimenting with the breakers.

First I did outline stitch, but it was pretty invisible, so I whipped it with a fine metallic. I left it that way in the background.  As I get closer to shore, I've added detached buttonhole stitches, first with an old NeedleNecessities overdyed metallic braid (#8) and then with strips of tulle put into the needle and stitched like thread.  As I approach the shore, I'm adding in some tan tulle--sand showing through the water. 

All the while, I'm thinking about the foreground and how I want to do the figure.