Friday, April 20, 2012

Jacobean Flowers

"Jacobean Flowers" - 7.5x8.75 - Mixed Media Collage
Available on 
Etsy  
Yes, I know. More whimsy. I'm not sure what's bringing this on, but I'm rolling with it. 

When I was a teenager, back in the 70's, I really got into doing needlework. I'd buy kits and make pictures, doorstops, etc. I was really drawn to patterns that were referred to as "Jacobean" as I loved the fantasy-like flowers depicted in them. I got pretty good at crewel work and became a master at French and bullion knots as well as the more pedestrian satin and chain stitches. 

Wanting to create designs of my own, my mother made a muslin smock-top for me that I stitched on as the mood struck. I also had a short, short pair of cut off denims that I also stitched on and practically wore as a uniform for more than one summer. 

Long story short, the flowers I've created in this piece remind me of those needle craft days. The background layer of paper is actually a piece of paper that I made one summer. You can almost always identify paper that I've made because it has glitter in it!

2 comments:

Cindy said...

The purple flowers remind me of some crewel flowers you did, but I'm remembering a gold/orange color - does that sound familiar? (Beautiful work, by the way.) ~ Sis

Anonymous said...

Yesterday, while cleaning out the boxes in the attic, I ran across that embroidered smock top and guess what? Gold/orange jacobean style flowers, just as you said! Good memory!