Modern and Traditional Embroidery Dress

Yes, yes I am working really hard on quite a number of new designs of which more later but I just want to share something which I am quite pleased with and which gave me a warm glow and pat of encouragement which I needed at the beginning of the week ... knowing I would be sat in front of the computer for many hours ...

I saw on Pinterest a front cover illustration for a book which got my radars twirling. Canvas Work by Jennifer Gray pub 1960.
Here it is below and you can see why I might be excited. Maybe not but it did it for me and I looked further, went to the wonderful ABE BOOKS (secondhand books from all over the world) and found a copy for a few pounds £3.00 I think. What treasure! It came on Monday, and I was thrilled with it, my absolute tip top style of decoration and drawings good stitch explanations and diagrams, fantastic colour pallete.

THEN I saw a beautiful seat cover which immediately looked familiar in style and yes, it was by my mother! I have not seen this design before and it was worked during her time with the Needlework Development Scheme, and it is perfect. I spent the afternoon completely distracted by the whole thing and drew up the design in Illustrator, printed it onto white linen and am in the process of working it up hopefully turning into a design for our new range. Though it may be a lovely download too ... maybe both! But I will post the results very soon.

Enjoy the rest of the pages from the book I have scanned!

Front Cover

My surprise, my mother's design for a seat cover!

Detail

Page from Canvas Work by Jennifer Gray 1960   Buildings

Page from Canvas Work by Jennifer Gray 1960 ... Angels

Page from Canvas Work by Jennifer Gray 1960 ... Flora and Fauna

Page from Canvas Work by Jennifer Gray 1960 ... Birds

I have been sorting out books on the stairs bookcase and found this old copy of The Faber Book of Comic Verse though I am not sure of the publication date it is at least 1940's. It was a gift from my mother to my father just after the war, on his birthday 27th April 1947. There can't have been even an idea of my brother yet and still they were dreaming of their new life together and all it's possibilities ... My mother, the nurturing earth mother contentedly coping with 16 children all looking like my father with only one daughter! My father lounging around taking it easy smoking his pipe. All photos of him then had a pipe in mouth or hand. Some of the in jokes are forever lost, never to be explained sadly, like the sandwich tree, and the even more mysterious mitre plant ... and "PIP when 306" ?

It is a great treasure this little drawing and good to share with the outside world. Drawing in books? ABSOLUTELY!

Back in May before my op I had a short break in Scotland visiting friends Nick and Margaret who live near Dumfries. Nick took us into town one rainy afternoon and we happily mooched around charity shops and admired the splendid buildings. We also found a book fair in the town hall, which was very exciting. But slightly worrying for me  as I know I am shortly going to be tempted by treasures. It is an addiction for me ... and there were many treasures. Many early Edward Ardizonne children's books which I fondled achingly and went back to many times, thinking I could just go without food for a month and be happy knowing they were safe in my hands. And then Nick spotted this, irresistibly titled A True Tale of Love in Tonga by Robert Gibbings. I have since found that he was the publisher of The Golden Cockerel Press and here you will find a delightful little British Pathe film all about him. The cover was enough for me ... but each page has beautiful engravings by Robert ... it is a wonder. Paul kindly bought it for me as an early birthday present and I actually have it propped up next to the computer as the front image is so inspiring as a piece of beautiful design and the fact that despite not being a lover of yellow, I am reminded that with the right arguement you can be easily swayed to a different view. I am loving this particular shade of yellow ... with inky black is GOOD!