New Collection and New Pattern

I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving!  Ours was nice and cozy by the fire and full of good aromas and even the beginning of the snow that forms our season's snowpack.  And of course a new puppy that was a big 'help' with everything, lol

I hope to be done stitching Carolina's model in the next couple of days and as always being afraid of not having the piece to go on the frame when the last is finished, I took a few days to develop the next design.  There are any number of kernels of ideas floating around in my head but as usual one kept coming to the forefront demanding to be next.

In the past I've mentioned that my favorite era of style is the Edwardian age.  While it was officially just one decade from 1901 to 1910, the aesthetics most consider "Edwardian"  began a bit earlier and lasted until the beginning of World War I in 1914 corresponding to the French Belle Epoque period. Despite its brief pre-eminence, the period is characterised by its own unique architectural style, fashion, and lifestyle.  Art Nouveau then Art Deco had particularly strong influences as well as the industrial age and the development of the automobile and electricity.

There is a great Pinterest Edwardiana board if you'd like to see more images.

A time of exuberance that was brought crashing into the reality of world war, this brief period produced some stunning images and I hope to capture at least a bit of their essence in cross stitch patterns. 

The new Collection will be called Edwardiana and the first pattern is called 'Wimsey'



Wimsey  Stitch Count 193 x 228 

Why Wimsey?  I love good detective stories and some of the best were written during the Edwardian age, from Sherlock Holmes to those known as the Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (and I highly recommend the dvds based on those rivals!).  And while they were written a bit later the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries authored by Dorothy Sayers were placed in the Edwardian era and there is no detective I love more than Lord Peter so this is in his honor.  I think it reflects his elegant and irrepressible style.

 

 

This is another reason stitching slowed a bit this month, it is hard to stitch with a lap full of Jasper!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Carolina, Jasper & an Enthusiasm

Carolina
 

Three more bands to go on Carolina.  Stitching has slowed considerably with the now ten week old Jasper as part of the family.  Anyone who has ever had a puppy knows how much time they consume with the constant loving and teaching they require and the taller they get the more things they can find to get into!

But he's been more than worth the effort :) 

 

It has been a lot of fun getting to know him, he is a sweet loving and ENERGETIC boy, lol and we're so glad we have enough fenced acreage for him to burn off that energy.

 

Since I haven't a lot of stitching news right now, I'm trying to finish the Carolina model to coincide with the Just Cross Stitch magazine article - which will be on newsstands New Years Eve - I thought I'd tell you about another enthusiasm of mine.  And that is the work of Japanese woodblock artist, Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)

KAWASE HASUI

During his life Hasui was named one of the Living National Treasures of Japan.  One of the chief printmakers in the Shin Hanga (new print) movement, his watercolors and woodblocks move me deeply.  His gift for portraying night scenes as well as snow and rain and the moods they can convey are profoundly beautiful.

 

 

 

I love the sense of stillness and peace they portray.

The harmony and balance Hasui achieved inspires me, I could spend hours lost in his remarkable work.

If you hadn't met him before, I hope anyone else similarly moved by Hasui's work will enjoy the introduction.