X-Stitch: Swans a-Swimming

When I look at this cross stitch project, I almost always start singing the Twelve Days of Christmas …

On the seventh day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Seven swans a-swimming, 
Six geese a-laying, 
Five golden rings, 
Four calling birds, 
Three French hens, 
Two turtle doves, 
And a partridge in a pear tree.

OK … OK, I know there are only two Swans a-Swimming in this piece, but what can I say — my mind has a mind of its own.

This was one of my earliest projects.  It was also the one that took the longest to complete.  Not because it was an overly difficult pattern, but because I got bored with the repetitive nature of the leaf trim.  Finally, in 2009, I found the kit tucked into the corner of a drawer and decided to just get it over and done with.  I buckled down and in less than a week I was taking the finished work to the local crafts store to get it framed.

The colors of this piece would actually work great in the kitchen/dining area of the condo, but alas there is no wall space big enough there.  Since the rest of the walls are filled with other projects, this one has been wrapped and placed in storage for now.

Those little butterflies in the corner — they’re my addition to the pattern.  Somehow a few small stains had developed on the fabric (probably from being stuck in a plastic bag with some colorful floss).  It was either find a way to cover the spots, or toss out the completed project.  I think they worked out nicely with the swans and lilies.

X-Stitch: Patchwork Pillow

Most of my cross stitch projects hang on the walls around the house.  On occasion, however, I’ve made baby bibs, birth and wedding announcements, fingertip and kitchen towels, tablecloths, and even throw pillows.  Most of those were gifts that I’ve long since given away and I don’t have pictures of them — except for this one pillow, which I kept.

The loveseat, currently in the master bedroom, is one of the items we’ll be selling as we downsize for retirement; I’ll have to find someplace else to put the pillow.

X-Stitch: Lale Zamanı (aka Tulip Time)

Ask anyone where tulips originated, and the answer will likely be: Holland.  Actually, commercial cultivation of the tulip (or lale) began in the Ottoman Empire.  As a matter of fact, there was an entire era in Ottoman history known as the Lale Devri (Tulip Period).  Lasting from 1718 to 1730, this was a relatively peaceful period during which the Ottoman Empire began to orient itself towards Europe.

According to Wikipedia:

… the word tulip, which earlier appeared in English in forms such as tulipa or tulipant, entered the language by way of French tulipe and its obsolete form tulipan or by way of Modern Latin tulīpa, from Ottoman Turkish tülbend (“muslin” or “gauze”), and is ultimately derived from Persian dulband (“turban”).

Stylized tulip images were used in Ottoman art and could be found in everything ranging from fine fabrics to tile-work.  My rendition is more realistic — here is Lale Zamanı …

Tulips are one of the most popular and anticipated of the spring flowers.  I’m hoping that posting this blog entry on the last day of February will hasten the arrival of spring.  I’m ready to put winter behind me.

X-Stitch: Biltmore House

In May 1994, we went on a 5-day trip that took us from Virginia, to Tennessee and North Carolina.  We spent a day driving through Smoky Mountain National Park; continued onto visit the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC; hiked to the top of Chimney Rock, where scenes from Last of the Mohicans (starring Daniel Day-Lewis) was filmed; and returned to Virginia via the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It was a whirlwind trip, and despite being dead-tired by the time we reached home, we had a great time.

Blast from the Past
at the Biltmore Estate — may 1994
[scanned from original photo]

Browsing through the gift shop after our tour of the estate, I found a cross stitch pattern for George Vanderbilt's 250-room French château.  Since I couldn’t afford to buy the house, I bought the pattern instead.

Here is the finished project for Biltmore House — the largest privately-owned house in the US; a prominent example of the Gilded Age.

Not a bad replica, is it?

X-Stitch: Seaside Lovers

I’ve always enjoyed crafts.  I’ve tried my hand at ceramics, knitting, crochet, and cross stitch.  Cross stitch was my favorite; specifically, the counted variety where there’s nothing printed on the fabric.  I liked seeing my creations come to life on a blank canvas.  The smaller the fabric count the better as far as I was concerned.

Alas those days are over.  My near-sight isn’t what it used to be, and doing detail work, though not impossible, is more difficult these days. As well, over the years, other hobbies have started to vie for my attention — photography and blogging come to mind.  And to top it off, we’re planning to downsize after retirement, living for a while (at least) full-time in our “condo on wheels.”  So after much debate (with myself), I’m putting this hobby on the shelf.

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to take images of my “art” and include them in the blog.  That way, they’ll be with me no matter where I am.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not giving up what I worked so hard to create.  There just won’t be any new projects in my future.

So here it is … Seaside Lovers — my last cross stitch project; first to be featured in the blog.

If you’re wondering how this has anything to do with “travel.”  Well, in many instances, a trip we took was the inspiration for a pattern that I later stitched.  Take this one for instance … it reminds me of the many beach strolls we’ve taken in years past.

Update – February 4

Mom was working on the same cross stitch pattern.  Her project turned out just as beautifully.  She stitched the gold thread frame around the scene, whereas I opted to skip it; she added some birds in the sky — the pattern had some birds but they blended into the clouds, so I opted not to stitch them; mom got frustrated with the back-stitch beach grasses and came up with an alternate solution.  The framer suggested they not do a mat; since Mom did the stitched frame, I think it works.  So here’s another version of Seaside Lovers — this one hangs in my sister’s living room.