I'm now unable to cross stitch following two operations to my left hand which have left it without strength or fine motor skills (I'm right handed, but would still need my left hand to hold what I'm stitching). However during the dozen or so years I stitched (from about the mid 1990s to the mid 2000s) I did quite a number of projects. Here are some photos.
Samplers
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| this red & white monochrome was one of the first samplers I ever stitched |
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| this Museum of Childhood sampler was a gift to my parents |
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I stitched this in 1996 for my parents' Ruby Wedding anniversary
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this more elaborate sampler was also a gift to my parents,
for their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 2006
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| close-up of the Golden Wedding Anniversary sampler |
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| this was also a gift for family members when one of my nieces was born |
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| another sampler for another niece, born the same year |
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| I liked this modern take on a traditional sampler, which includes eyelets
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| Ceud Mile Failte means 'A hundred thousand welcome's in Gaelic |
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| not a sampler but this stylised knot also has a Celtic theme
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Places
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| Stellenbosch is in South Africa, near Cape Town |
Stellenbosch (the name literally means "town of oaks") was founded in 1679. The sampler shows Bletterman house flanked by oak trees as well as the surrounding mountains and the nearby Eerste River. The grapes and baskets of flowers depict the fruitfulness and viticulture of the area, and the border shows acorns. The harp symbolises the music and arts and the owl represents wisdom and knowledge (the town has a University).
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Robert Burns was born in this thatched cottage in Alloway, Ayr, Scotland
in 1759. It now houses a commemorative museum. |
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| Dunvegan Castle is also in Scotland |
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| the only English place I've cross-stitched: Moot Hall in Keswick |
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| a stylised "Fife House" |
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| Rhode Island was the first in a series of American places for my brother |
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| Cincinnati, in the same series |
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| this homey American style was a gift from a friend, so not stitched by me |
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in a similar style this welcome window hanging expresses
the same sentiment as 'Ceud Mile Failte', above |
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| "Life is a journey", a small project but with an interesting frame |
Fruit & flowers
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| this basket of apples was one of my first ever sizeable projects! |
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| lavender montage |
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| the Chinese character for "love" |
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| this hare was a Lunar New Year gift for a friend |
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these roses were stitched in the distinctive
style of Charles Rennie Mackintosh |
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| Art Nouveau summer roses |
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fuchsias are one of my favourite flowers
(as you can see here and below) |
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| more fuchsias |
Fuchsia is a dancer
Dancing on her toes,
Clad in red and purple,
By a cottage wall;
Sometimes in a greenhouse,
In frilly white and rose,
Dressed in her best for the fairies’ evening ball!
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| 'Roessa anja' fuchsia |
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| fuchsias against a night-time background |
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| Dutch tulip bulb |
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| stylised tulips |
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| small hanging |
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| Moonflower |
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| this Agapanthus and antique fence is one of my favourite projects |
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| a poppy-themed photo frame |
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| toadstools |
Miscellaneous
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| gift from a friend |
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| my motto |
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| stained glass window |
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| butterfly |
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| seashells |
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| lighthouses |
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| sailing boats continue the nautical theme |
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| night time scene, with silvery thread for the moon |
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| All Our Yesterdays: As far as we go |
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| a dreamcatcher |
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| purple bookmark |
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| another bookmark |
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| beaded front of a notepad |
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| Queen's Golden Jubilee sampler |
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| one of my more practical projects: a clock |
Finally, here are some cards that I stitched over the years for various occasions: birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, housewarming, Easter etc.
I also stitched some coasters, but after several years of use they're not longer very photogenic!
