Christiana sent me several pictures of some of her embroidery projects, so I thought I’d show them to you. I didn’t know how to group them together, so I decided to stick with a somewhat “opposite” theme on this one. If you happen to like Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, you’ll know why I was thinking in terms of opposites…
First of all, here’s a pretty cool piece of Celtic knotwork that Christi stitched for her brother. He found the design somewhere and liked it, so she decided to convert it into an embroidered piece. He calls them “Saxon Dogs,” and if you follow the intricate lines of the knotwork, you can finally arrive at the part that looks like a dog! Click on the image for a larger version, if you want to see it up close. It’s worked in satin stitch and (I think?) stem stitch on muslin, with black DMC stranded cotton.
I love the knotwork – I think it looks great in black. I especially like the way the design flows so smoothly.
So that’s the Saxon part of the post…
The “Norman” part of the post is a little fleur de lys that I think is really pretty:
I like the seed stitching for the shading, and I love the colors!
Christiana is in the process of repairing a piece of ecclesiastical needlework right now – the hood of a cope, worked in gold metal threads and silk. I think she was rather valiant to take the job on, and I hope she’s surviving it!
What lovely stithcing, thank you for sharing. The blackwork is fabulous
Thanks to Christine for sharing, and {{{hugs}}} to her for taking on such a daunting task.
Hey Mary,
Thanks a lot. I will definitely try it out. It sounds so much fun ! 🙂
The blackwork is amazing and the fleur de lys is very cute. Well done Christiana. Thanks Mary for sharing with us. 🙂
The Celtic knotwork is very handsome, Christiana. And very striking, done in black and white. The Fleur-de-lis is very cool too! I hope we get to see the hood you’re working on some day as well!
-Jeannine
I love both pieces. I like the blackwork because it is so different, bold and makes a statement.
Thank you all for your kind and enthusiastic comments, and thank you, Mary, for posting my work!
I’m glad they’re such a hit; they were sooo much fun to stitch.
Thank you all for your wishes of luck on the cope hood project. I certainly need it! I’m afraid I’m in a little over my depth. 🙂
Christiana
Christiana, the Celtic Knot has such a plush look to it and the narrow and wider areas are done well. Very nice to look at. So is the fleur de lis. The seed stitches are a clever use. It could even be filled in the open areas with that background blue but in satin stitch. It is lovely in gold outline. Good luck stitching.
Celtic? It’s Saxon, there is a big difference. Well done.