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It's taken me over a year for this piece too (check the post on March 3, 2012). I finished it this morning. It was a snowy day outside, so I stayed in front of the fire with my coffee and put in the last of the background stitching.
Beth Russell created a fine design and I had immense pleasure stitching this. Her original design called for petit point in wool on a large count canvas. As is my usual habit, I worked on a 28 count linen with one thread of cotton embroidery floss. The final piece measures 16 x 16 cms.
My hare already has a home to go to. I just have to frame it before it leaps away.
I began this project very quickly after finishing the Berlin Rug Fragment. I was drawn by the unusually modern colour palette despite the age of the original piece which dates back to the beginning of the 19 th century, and the distinctive design of the prayer arches.
I work on it regularly although I have three or four other projects on the go simultaneously right now. Since the threads I am using are the Pearsall's silks, it is a joy after working with a finer flat silk on a complicated needlepainting project to sit with this piece. As with most cross stitch works, it is restful to follow a pattern rather than analyse one's every move which is the case with needlepainting. At left is the photo of Frank Cooper's work, worked in wool. Below is where I am with mine.
Among my clients, I have a range of ages. My newest client is 4 years old, an energetic little tow-headed boy who lives in Colorado and is crazy about Power Rangers. For Christmas, he had received a number of themed gifts which depicted the Samurai, his favourite.
On a recent Skyping session, he expressed his disappointment that he had not received a cushion like the one that I had embroidered for his older brother. He specifically needed a cushion for his mother's doll, Lily, who slept in his room. I asked him what I should embroider on his cushion and without hesitation he answered the Red Power Ranger.
Embroidery is not like drawing. You just can't whip up a coloured picture in a matter of hours, or even a couple of days. It takes quite a bit of time. I needed to find a way to create the character quickly and send it off. My final choice was to use the Bayeux stitch, the technique used on the famous Bayeux Tapestry which dates back to 1077. The Bayeux stitch is a type of weaving of three layers of thread. It creates quick coverage of the forms to be coloured and it is secure. The original embroidery is still in existence and in very good condition despite its great age. I anticipate this little cushion to be handled often so solidity was the order of the day.
I finished the embroidery yesterday. I am really happy with the outcome. The colours are vibrant and the texture of the Bayeux stitch make the character jump right off the fabric. It took me close to 20 hours to stitch this piece. It was fun to do, the joy being enhanced by what I anticipate to be a smiling blond boy when he receives it.
It was a creative way of bridging a 1000 years of history, between the time the original Bayeux Tapestry was embroidered and today, and 2000 miles of distance which separates us from our grandchildren.
