After a foot operation, building work, retirement and divorce, my life is now back on track to settle down to my embroidery.

I’m working on another insect for my Cabinet of Curiosities mirror frame project. The butterfly wings are needlelace on a wire outline with gilt spangles for spots.

I have been working on my tent stitch casket lid. The basic Adam and Eve design was supplied as part of my Cabinet of Curiosities course. As you can see, this was inspired by the design on an early to mid 17th century book cover from the Feller collection now in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. I auditioned various motifs to fill the gaps, especially in the foreground.

This is embroidered using three strands of Soie de Paris silk thread on a linen ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My crewelwork is now completed and mounted.

 

 

 

 

 

I am also working on a canvas work embroidery. This design is taken from a 17th century painting by Giovanna Garzonni.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I sent for some naturally plant dyed crewel wool from the Renaissance Dyeing Elizabethan range. It came in such a beautiful set of colours just perfect for this project.

If you look at this embroidered panel in isolation it is very likely that you would assume that it depicts the blue gowned Virgin Mary riding on a donkey along with her husband Joseph. But this panel is on the Bourne Casket where the rest of the panels depict the story of Abraham, Isaac and Rebecca. Go to the Bourne Casket page and decide what you think. Was this a hidden message to fellow Catholics at a troublesome time?

The Embroidered Caskets page is now live. This contains our recommendations for places to go to see caskets; whether they are usually on public display – often viewing is restricted to preserve the colours – photos of the embroidery (usually we have had to obtain permission to take photographs, purely for our non-commercial use) and information about the provenance and designs. This is a work in progress so please keep returning and click on the casket photos to go to individual pages on each casket. To start with we have included the Bourne casket at the Museum of Lancashire, the Fenton House casket, and the Bond Family casket at the Dorset County Museum.