Tall Year Square and foundlings

I thought at first I might be a changeling, you know, the offspring of faeries or elves exchanged for a human child, but actually I now suspect that I am in fact, a foundling.

I believe that many years ago I was born a Princess, a girl child of royal blood, I mean really, Royal Blood.

All I can think is that I was conceived during a loving, nay, passionate, but forbidden liaison berween a Prince of the aforementioned Royal Blood and a poor servant girl. The Family refused to acknowledge me or my beautiful fragile mother who immediately died of a broken heart. I was given to a childless couple far away from the Palace in the coldest most Northern part of the country and brought up as their own child.

This couple were kind and generous and loved the little one as their own and the infant gave them so much joy that eventually, eleven years later, they had a baby of their own to be a sister to the Royal child.

And so on.

Sorry.....I got a bit bored with all that.

But how, you query, do you know this?

Well, because, obviously, I was born to stitch with silken threads on fine linen.

Some years ago, I attended a workshop with the wonderful Betsy Morgan when she visited The Sampler Guild here in the UK. I chose two kits to stitch, the Tall Year Square and The Elizabethan Casket. I loved the pre-stitching and was inspired by the work we did in class so I came home and put it all away in a cupboard for several years!

But recently I found it again, blew off the dust and set to work.

I can't tell you how luscious it all is. 

The threads are Gloriana silk, soft and glowing and beautiful, the linen - perfect pastel pieces. The perles are DMC, chosen to match the linen so beautifully and the slub silk linings - Absolutely Glorious.

And I finished it. 

I know, the whole thing, stitched together, on my own. And it worked. It actually is exactly the same as the one Betsy made. I am taking a lot of credit for this of course, but perhaps some credit should go to Betsy's gentle informed teaching, her detailed charts and impeccable finishing instructions.

So just pictures from now on with my usual inane comments that accompany them.

The completed box. As if that wasn't obvious.

The box opened, with some of my little treasures - bone laying tools and thread winders. The stitched square on the scissor fob moves up and down the cord. I know!

The cube in the middle was the pre-stitching project which we joined together in class.

This might be Spring, but it might not because it was dark when I took the photos, but I think there is a little frog just visible amongst the lilies.

Or is this Spring with the bunny rabbits? I think these two photos might be interchangeable.

Autumn - easy!

Winter, also easy. Those cardinals are such a giveaway. I changed the back of the fob to echo the design of the bottom of the etui which I have forgotten to photograph. 

I wanted to show you the lid, mostly to demonstrate how Betsy covered every little detail. Under the button which holds down the lid are four Algerian Eyes stitched in the perle colour of the cords which run through them. You don't see them unless you really look but when you do find them it brings a little smile to your face.

We made those barrel button tassels too.

So there we go. How nice is that?

I just wanted to add one more photo before I finish.

My young dog, Cassie, cut her her foot on the beach and needed to have it stitched.

And here is the picture of that.......

No, not really!  

Next to the Vet's Surgery is a garden which has been allowed to run wild, it is very overgrown and quite a bit of litter has accumulated there, but just against the fence, barely visible in all the rubbish, grows a rose bush and this is a picture of the rose I stole, took, borrowed - rescued.

It is one of those really old-fashioned roses, velvet red with a rich heady perfume. 

I saw it - I wonder how many people walked by without seeing it?

Of course, they won't see it now because I pinched it!!

Enjoy the sunshine if you have it,

Love Irene xxx

I've just published this and checked it and the pictures are pathetic. Even if you click on them, they are pathetic. Look - just pop round and I'll show you it!

And....I've just seen the date - 5th July. That's when I wrote this and have only just taken the pics to go with it. I am sorry.