I have been having difficulty getting into serious projects, but when this happens, I fall on my tried and true ideas and this one has been on my list of 'things to embroider' for a long long while.

It is part of a magnificent collection of historical 'cartoons' dating back to 1932. It is called 'Frise Africaine'.

It is restful to do a monochromatic cross stitch; no need to think of colour, just the need to follow a pattern already calculated and put all my attention into the precision of the technique and the effect of the thread on the linen. I worked this project on a 32 count linen with a dark grey (DMC 3799) thread of cotton floss. The final piece measures no more than 12 cms x 4 cms.

It creates refreshing point of non-colour on my studio wall - a little like ink letters on a fresh page of white paper. Hopefully this therapy, this restful period, will generate the energy I seem to be in need of to return to my more complicated project 'Arabesque'.

Stay tuned and patient!