Persuasions.....and sea shore inspirations

I have lived within a few miles of a shore most of my life. I have crossed the Mackinaw Bridge dozens of times over the years and spent time in Grand Marais, Mackinac Island, Houghton/Hancock and Traverse Bay in northern Michigan....Lived a year in Marblehead, MA next to the public landing, traveled up and down the East Coast and am now settled within an hour of the Chesapeake.... I love the seashore!!! So it follows that Persuasion would be my favorite of Austen's novels....My grandparents had a small home on Lake St. Clair in Michigan, where I visited in summer.  Their winters were spent near Sanibel Island in Florida. I inherited my grandfather's huge collection of seashells. Now sorted I planned to use the tiniest shells on my Jane Austen casket and others for a sailors valentine. Yes....I found a gentleman, through a friend, who makes boxes for valentines! The sailor's valentine reminds me of the 2016 JASNA UK tour where we visited the Vyne and Lyme Regis.  Jane grew up near the Vyne, in Hampshire. It was built by Henry the VIII's Lord Chamberlain, and one could spend the day in the Chapel alone. Jane Austen was familiar with the Chutes and would have attended Balls there. Anyone's youthful imagination would have been inspired by such an influence. A beautiful estate with a grand entrance.... below is a view of the staircase.

Displayed for us at the Vyne was a beautiful sailors valentine, a sewing box and a pair of embroidered calf skin gloves. They must have read my mind because all were thrilling eye candy and of interest to me. I have a hidden sailors valentine in my casket, they are simply to wonderful not to be included!

                                           

I spent the past year finishing themed stitching projects which utilize a common lacing construction technique for linen and linen/silk fabric seams. One lacing technique taught by C A Wells, utilizes a chain or four-sided stitch and the other taught by Betsy Morgan utilizes a back stitch. Both are completed in pearl cotton which is a strong fiber superior to silk threads in resisting wear...I enjoyed finishing these projects, most classes were taken almost a decade ago, in common are theme's which interest me... Betsy's Quaker Etui and Toy Chest Etui were inspired by Quaker school girl embroidery and painted Pennsylvania Chest motifs, examples which are found in my local museums in Chester County, PA and Winterthur....Shown below, and all stored within the toy chest, a crayon box scissors fob and Amish scissors sheath, a paint box threader, hobby horse laying tool, emery Jack-in-the-box, waxer storage 'drum', ball and cup thimble toy, a Ouija board thread palate and primer pincushion....too much fun!!!

C A Wells inspired two mermaid motif drawstring bags and an embroidered 'sailor's valentine' design. C A dedicated hers to Martha's Vineyard. I dedicated mine to Marblehead and Mackinac Island. Below the valentine with our family schnauzers sailing in eternity. The hinges will actually close! The mermaid drawstring bag has a 'hooked' fish shaped needle case and a mermaid pincushion hair brush below the valentine add to the fun....

The tassels of the sweet bag above were made by wrapping wood beads in ribbon and then covering them in a decorative 'netting' technique, detached buttonhole stitch, ribbon tails were looped to finish. I like the netting effect which fits the theme of 'nautical'. The side seams are laced with ribbon and a decorative looped edging on top was worked in a ribbon Hedebo. The Sailors Valentine has extra meaning because C A and I hand twisted the cord together.....Very fun class! I will add them to my collection of bags hanging throughout my home...below are just are a few....

I also finished a Poconos themed wallet, the back has a Bargello pattern called 'bear claw', the scissors fob has a bear and claw motif and the canoe is actually a pincushion, a Sherri Jones design.  On the right a sweet flower basket motif needle book and matching pincushion roll, similar embroidery techniques to the gloves above. My first embroidery seminar in Williamsburg in 2005, with Dr. Tricia Nguyen. I enjoyed working with the metal fiber couched to form a basket and will use this on the casket.

Above, I worked stumpwork leaves for the casket from a Marcia Pompay-Gomala design, which are satin stitched to a wire frame. The leaves are cut from the substrate fabric and the stems are couched to the final design fabric. This same technique is basic to stumpwork flower petals, parrot feathers and wings and any flat design element which needs to escape 2 dimensions and enter the third. Note the horse chestnuts which are wrapped onto a wood bead and the acorns which are wrapped to a wool cylinder. Detached buttonhole stitch is added for the cap....Yes my casket will have oak and chestnut trees, strawberries and other fruiting trees.....maybe apricot.....and a parrot, I must have a parrot.....

I'm adding a picture of another project 'Ophelia' a 9 inch wood doll finishing class of Merry Cox. Her silk dress finished with french silk trimmings. Ophelia comes with her traveling chest, ready for a trip. She has brought along her sampler, huswife, memory album for notes and class work book of stitches. Her scrimshaw hornbook and mother's picture store safely in her hat box. Ophelia was hand made by Eric Horn and is modeled from 19th century dolls...

When a woman returns home from an exciting trip over seas she returns to her 'Home Sweet Home'. My last project discussed is a class of Catherine Theron, a book depicting a folk Art design influenced by school girl embroidery samplers. Turns out the 'book' fits perfectly into a hand painted box of Elsie Di Cassio I acquired. The box is finished in silks to store my twisted cording tools. I love the faux 'wood grain' finishing technique used on the box lid, bottom picture, very 18th century.... I believe the two designs were a perfect match. I personalized the box lid with my past home in Michigan, the hillocks list streets where I have lived in a subtle lighter shade of green. The 112 border rosettes are spiral trellis stitch, which I have painfully mastered. At times I feel as though I haven't accomplished much, then I do a review of the techniques I have been working on and realize much has been accomplished! Escaping to spend a weekend to a week of classwork, with kindred spirits, is great fun! Most important, is an education in fine hand embroidery and basic techniques common before the mid 1800's. A time of linen and silks......