Ann Bernard

December 4, 2019 by Ann Bernard

A Garden of Spring and Summer Flowers

Here is an original piece of embroidery. There was no inspiration except for her imagination and the pencil drawing of her plan. Lilian Henrikson used all the flowers in both of my books, Hand Stitch Recognizable Spring and Summer Flowers, and, she included some she created herself. What was remarkable, was that Lilian never once asked for any guidance or interpretation of the instructions, which to me, meant that the instructions were complete. It is good to know that the books cover the subjects completely. It is also good to know that it is possible to create and add flowers of one’s own. You may not think that you would ever do that but Lilian did and, so can you! That is, if you wish to do so.

It started as a sampler trying out some spring flowers. You can see snowdrops, crocus, daffodils and narcissus here in small numbers plus a forsythia bush.

From there it grew to include groupings of flowers. Note that Lilian stitched lots of daffodils, many hyacinths in different colours and some primulas.

Here are the hyacinths again plus some tulips and iris. At the top, an unusual spring flower called Crown Imperial Fritillaria. It is tall and striking, and smells terrible.

Lilian moved on to summer flowers. Here are delphiniums, shasta daisies, several roses and orange cone flowers. Next to the holly bush (red) are asters, below is alyssum, the blue are gentian, the orange are cone flowers, the light blue are hydrangeas, and the pink are a feathery spike flower but the name is unknown

A close up of the portulaca which are my favourite in this garden. These are the first ones I have seen other than the ones included in the book. The colours of these flowers is vivid and different as is the stitching technique.

At the top left corner are hollyhocks and in the top right are sunflowers with lupins and peonies in between.

This is the completed Spring into Summer Garden. Lilian planned the pathway which makes the eye wander onwards. One should always pay attention to the scenery when walking through a real life garden.

It has been framed in dark green which sets it off nicely and does not detract from the embroidery. The glass protection reflects the lights and I was unable to get a satisfactory picture of it completed.

Here is Lilian who is obviously pleased with her achievement. And, she likes flowers -also obviously! She says she should have included a bunny somewhere!

This took many months to complete as Lilian is a busy person and mostly stitches for one afternoon a week. This is OK because I know that it took me many months to years to work out how to portray the 46 flowers, bushes and trees.included in both books. She comments that the project was fun and that she never got bored with repetition. Stitching kits can be really boring because of repetition. Quantities of repetition. It is not you, it is a fact of life and of kits.

Would you like to purchase a copy of both Spring and Summer Flowers ebooks at half price? Post a comment to this blog entry and see what happens.

The next blog will be a close up look at the contents of my two books. The half price offer will be included. It will be in time for you to consider this for a seasonal gift to yourself or someone else who enjoys stitching.

February 13, 2018 by Ann Bernard

The medieval tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings is to leave France and head for England for first time in 950 years

Jan 25, 2018 Nikola Budanovic Reprinted from The Vintage News – Jan 26, 2018

First, an answer to a question. Magna Carta Panels; “Get out and get under” photo. Yes, it is unusual to have to do this. It is sometimes necessary when repairing old textiles that cannot be rolled onto the wooden frame bars. In the case of the panels, my guess is that there was something not quite right about some stitching in the central area that needed some attention.

For the first time in 950 years, the famous Bayeux Tapestry will leave its home in France and head for England. The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the artistic wonders of the Middle Ages, depicting the Norman invasion of Britain, the Battle of Hastings, and the subsequent rule of William the Conqueror.

Notice the wind in the sails and the horses marveling at sailing on the sea. Also, that everything, in all these pictures, is proportionally correct and balanced. Then, go and take another look at the battle scenes. The picture below does not show the proportion distortions.

The 224-foot-long panorama, which serves as a priceless piece of history, is currently located in Bayeux, a town in Normandy. A recent announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron that the delicate artifact will be loaned to England has created much excitement and debate on both sides of the English Channel.

The tapestry was originally woven in Kent, in southeast England, somewhere around 1070, by the order of Bishop Odo, William’s half-brother, who intended to use it solely for its narrative potential―after William I made a foothold in England, he claimed the English throne. The tapestry was meant to justify his attempt as legitimate, as he was the victor at Hastings.

A segment of the Bayeux Tapestry depicting Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, (with his bludgeoning mace) rallying Duke William’s troops during the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The Battle of Hastings was one of the turning points in British history; the defeat suffered by the Saxon King Harold marked the beginning of the Norman period in Britain. The landowning elite were completely replaced by Norman royalty, and so was the culture and the language―Old English was all but lost as a literary language throughout the 11th and 12th century.

William the Conqueror established his rule, but it was plagued by decades of rebellions, uprisings, and civil wars. Even though he crowned in 1066, it was not until 1072 that William’s grip on the country was firm.

The craftsmen who produced the work almost 1,000 years ago remain unknown, but their work is anything but. The tapestry is considered to have exquisite artistic value, as well as historic. The depictions of the horrors of war, which include headless soldiers, King Harold being shot in the eye with an arrow, dead horses, and Normans burning and pillaging villages might be the first ever to challenge the chivalrous image of the period.

It still uncertain which museum will take responsibility for housing the relic. The British Museum in London was cited as the initial host, while the English Heritage Museum, which owns Battle Abbey, built by William himself to commemorate the Battle of Hastings in 1066, claims that the tapestry should, at least temporarily, be displayed at the place where the historical battle actually took place.

The loan is scheduled for the year 2022, when restoration of the Bayeux museum in France will take place. So the tapestry would be sent for safekeeping, but the transport itself is a tricky issue. The millennium-old embroidered cloth is very fragile and the risk of damaging it during transport looms over Macron’s decision.

The current curator of the tapestry, Pierre Bouet, stated for the Guardian that, at first, he considered the news was a hoax, but when it proved to be true, his skepticism increased: “If you were to ask my advice, despite the regard I have for my English colleagues who I have worked with for many years, I would say no.”

On the other hand, both the Heritage Museum and the British Museum are thrilled with the prospect of the return of the medieval masterpiece to England. Rowena Willard-Wright, a senior curator at English Heritage, implied in her interview for the Guardian that the tapestry should be located outside London:

“The problem for the British Museum is what you might call the Tutankhamun effect: people end up queuing all the way into Russell Square. If people have to queue, where better than the Sussex countryside?”

The staff of the British Museum consider the 70-meter-long panorama too fragile to be moved from one place to another, and that it would be safest to keep it in one place. Michael Lewis, a curator, claims that conservation and practical difficulties would make the tapestry impossible to tour.

Related story from us: Off to the ‘holy places’: pilgrimages during the Middle Ages

However, the British Museum in London considers the artwork pivotal and would like to make it accessible to as many people as possible. The decisions on where it will be housed, and even if safe transportation will be possible, are yet to be made. Until then, the tapestry remains exhibited in the Bayeux city museum, in the picturesque countryside of Lower Normandy’s department of Calvados.

This is all very exciting and not even contemplated publicly when I started writing this sequential account of Embroideries that Record History. I will be taking a further look at the resurgence of Large Embroideries in future postings.

It is time for me to return to stitching which has been neglected lately. I hope that you have enjoyed reading and seeing these photos and videos. I have tried hard to be accurate but have undoubtedly made errors all of which were unintentional.

Comments are welcome, bye for now, Ann B.

February 7, 2018 by Ann Bernard

Saturday, October 14, 1066 The Battle of Hastings.

Saturday, October 14, 1066 was another beautiful day after a summer of excellent weather. Better to have a battle on a dry day rather than when it is raining!! The armies were well matched in numbers, around 8000 men each. The Saxon army formed up on the top edge of a hill leaving the Normans the lower ground and having to fight uphill. This sounds like a good strategy to me as I am routing for the Saxons but then, I am English, or rather a Canadian, in this lifetime. The battle started around 9 am and lasted all day. Breaks to eat were taken.

The Saxons formed a shield wall using their left arms which was the accepted procedure in those days. It was a very strong defense and hard for an enemy to break. It would appear fro
m the above picture that they threw spears and wielded battle axes with their right arms.

The Normans had horses. 174 horses are portrayed in the tapestry. Their army was well mounted, well armed and protected by coats of mail. They were also rested as they had been camped for two weeks whereas the Saxon army had walked all the way up to York and back and had fought the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

Riding up the hill towards the Saxon army, they must have been a formidable sight. As was the custom, the leader rode in the front of his army. The fighting was furious but the Saxon shield wall held firm. That is, until; the Normans staged a retreat and the Saxons, against orders, broke their wall and ran down the hill after them. With the wall broken, the Normans came round the ends and through the line.

From then on, it was a matter of individual battles. It was carnage of both men and horses. The horses had no protective armaments. Notice the fallen men in the lower border.

In this scene, Duke William riding a beige horse, and Bishop Odo, riding the blue horse are leading and encouraging the Norman army. Notice the archers in the lower border.

The armies are well matched and the bludgeoning and bloodshed went on hour after hour. A rumor circulated that King Harold had been killed. To show that he was still alive, he lifted the visor of his helmet and an arrow went into his eye. The battle was over.

The Saxons retreated. The Norman army was victorious. Thus ended 600 years of Saxon rule in England. The Bayeux Tapestry ends at this point.

There are plans to bring the Bayeux Tapestry to London where it will be displayed, possibly in the British Museum. This will not happen before 2020. But; if you happen to be in Paris, there are Day Trips to the city of Bayeux and you can see the tapestry in its own gallery. Bayeux is close to the invasion beaches of Normandy. A two day trip from Paris will include both.

Both Brittany and Normandy are very interesting areas of France to visit. Enjoy.

The Bayeux Tapestry – Seven Ages of Britain. Watch it on BBC One !

It is under 5 minutes in length and is an excellent tour of the whole Bayeux Tapestry in it ‘s gallery in France. You will recognize parts and see a broader view of this historic event

Hot news today Feb 06, 2018, from the city of York.
Fulford Tapestry off to Bayeux in France. Mike Laycock Chief reporter – The York Press

A TAPESTRY depicting the 1066 Battle of Fulford is to go on temporary display in France, near the home of the famous Bayeux Tapestry.

But before it crosses the channel, York residents and visitors will get a chance to see it when it is displayed for two days in Barclays Bank on Parliament Street during bank opening hours on Friday and Saturday, February 16 and 17, during the annual Jorvik Viking Festival.

But archaeologist Chas Jones, who designed the Bayeux-style work about the Fulford battle, has already made arrangements with the French authorities for it to go on tour in Normandy next month.

He said it was set to go on public display in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme (which is where Duke William built his armada) from March 13 to 20, before being shown to conservators in Bayeux itself and then to academics at the University of Caen.

The 5.6 metre long tapestry, which has already been shown to MPs at Westminster, took a team of York embroiderers about seven years to complete.

It tells pictorially the story of the Norse invasion of 1066, from King Harald Hardrada’s landing at Scarborough, where cottages were burnt, to their traveling down the coast to Holderness and then sailing up the Ouse before landing at Riccall.

The tapestry then recounts their victory at Fulford, followed by their entry into the city of York.

The Fulford battle was followed by another at Stamford Bridge and then the crucial Norman victory at Hastings, which changed the course of British history.

The plans to take the tapestry to France were welcomed by two women who were involved in the lengthy project to embroider it, which involved complicated stitches such as ‘laid work’ as well as cross stitch and stem stitch.

Mary Ann Dearlove said: “I think it’s wonderful,” while Dorrie Worrall, who lives in Fulford, said she was pleased by the news but said it was more important in the longer term for it to be put on permanent display somewhere in York. With Chas Jones.

Tomorrow: The sequel to the Battle of Hastings including some thoughts and questions on the artist/artists who designed it.

December 21, 2017 by Ann Bernard

Yet more gardens!

This stitcher is a long time quilter and had never hand stitched anything other than a kit previous to this garden. She loved stitching the tree and the tulips and added the rocks to ground some of the plants. She loved the dandelions so included those.

A garden with promise: stitched by Josie Abel

Edna is new to stitching so she is also new to creative stitching. This is a most successful path with a lot to look at on both sides. Her primulas and forsythias are very successful. Her next, current, project is also creative being designed by herself. It appears that Edna has bypassed kits and printed designs completely and has become an ‘original concept’ embroiderer.

Action! Action! Birds in the sky: stitched by Edna Miller

Pat started with the fence and distant trees. The flowers were added from the top down to the front. One has to look at this garden carefully as there is a lot to see. As you look and identify the flowers you will see small extra ones tucked into unexpected places. Pat is now an experienced stitcher. Other pieces of her work are included in Hand Stitch Recognizable Summer Flowers.

My Garden of Eden: stitched by Pat Harwood

Joan is a most creative lady as can be seen by her interpretation of a garden. It is completely different in every possible way. It features wisteria, magnolia, wild grasses snowdrops and grape hyacinths. This piece is a tribute to the physical challenges Joan battles with dedication and determination every day of the year.

The River of Life: stitched by Joan Prowse

December 18, 2017 by Ann Bernard

More Spring Gardens all stitched by students

Pathways have been popular lately as you will see in the following gardens. Judy has been a machine embroiderer and quilter for years but has taken up hand embroidery in the last 5 years. It could have been difficult but Judy had no trouble with this concept and the variations on basic stitches. I am sure you can recognise the flowers but note the colour triangulation which gives the layout balance and harmony. The tree is the weeping flowering crab tree she has in her front garden.

My garden is full of bloom: stitched by Judy Eckhardt

Everyone in the classes stitched a sampler. Although this method of stitching flowers is easy, it is also a totally new way of portraying flowers. Having tried out all the plants and trees, the stitcher is familiar with the variations of the four basic stitches. They are then able to make a personal choice on which plants they prefer to include in their garden. The individual choices are infinitely varied but all work well. Unpicking is minimal to rare when the learning is done on a sampler.

All the flowers in this piece are well stitched with successful attention to triangulation of colour. If you are not familiar with this, a composition works better if each of the colours is included three times in a triangular layout. The fence is a successful unifying feature.

The garden by the fence: stitched by Sharon Craven

Here is one of the young stitchers featured in Hand Stitch Recognizable Spring Flowers. She is now 5 years old and graduating from Kindergarten. She is very proud of her garden as was her teacher.

Well done young lady.

This is an example on how to use the information to create an original composition that is not a garden. There a many other examples included in the book. Elfrieda loved the information on stitching primulas and thought that they would work well in this layout. She also loved the dandelions so included a few of them. This an unique rendition of the information. She plans to use this for a book or phone cover.

Primulas and dandelions: stitched by Elfreida Janzen

There will be more gardens in a future posting.

December 17, 2017 by Ann Bernard

Cover for Hand Stitch Recognizable Spring Flowers – 2nd edition.

You may not be aware of the new edition of this book on embroidery as my website has been inactive for much of last year. The timing of this information is to help you with your Christmas shopping. It is a great gift for any stitcher. It contains basic and necessary information from a professional such as; how to thread a needle easily, start and finish threads, set up fabric with a tight tension. There are many tips and strategies to help you enjoy stitching and achieve more professional results. It is also a creative text for those who prefer to do their own thing rather than follow kits and charts.

The title is the introduction. With a total of 17 flowers to be included the first consideration was that the cover would not look like a jungle. A definite structure was necessary to keep all the plants/flowers organized.

The outer circle contains the flowers featured in the first book which is no longer available. The inner circle features those that were added for the second edition and are less well known. The bushes and trees are still in the book but are not included in this cover embroidery.

Starting at the top of the outer circle, you will see white snowdrops. To the right are bluebells, primulas and grape hyacinths. Next are narcissi, tulips with hyacinths at the bottom. Following up the left side are tall iris, daffodils, and forget me nots. Lastly are crocus and more hyacinths.

The inner circle of spring flowers are less well known and are new for the 2^nd edition. These photos have been enhanced so that you can see the detail of the original and the new flowers more clearly. The colour of the fabric is inaccurate.

At the top there are dark blue and mauve dwarf or rock iris. To the right are some more snowdrops with yellow aconites.

After that blue/mauve, white and pink/mauve pasque flowers or prairie crocus. Next are cream and pale yellow english primroses..

At the lower edge of the inner ring are a wilder variety of primulas in shades of blue followed but more english primroses.

Pink, white and blue star of bethlehem include dandelions growing among them. More snowdrops and aconites complete the inner circle.

The centre contains a small circle of padded background material with small and scattered french knots. The surrounding circle is larger french knots. The radiating lines are french knots stitched in shades of mauve and green. The green thread is the same shade as the background fabric.

All the plants are stitched using only four embroidery stitches. These are straight, detached chain, buttonhole and french knots. Yes, it was a challenge to portray all these wildly different plants with such a basic and limited number of stitches. Multiple colours of DMC Floss are used. The threads are blended/mixed in the needle to obtain the correct colour for natures’ choice of each plant and flower.

Precise directions and diagrams for stitching each plant are included in the text.

None of this is difficult but it is a different way of portraying flowers. As well as creating a garden which is what most students did, these flowers are useful for small projects such as greeting cards, phone covers and glasses cases all of which you will find in the book.

Green seems to be a difficult colour to photograph accurately. This green fabric is a soft gray green and shows off all the greens used for the leaves. When stitching green thread on green fabric, one often has to change the proportions in the thread colour recipe for them to be seen clearly.

I have discovered why fashion photographs so seldom portray green except for really dark or bright greens. This is something I had never noticed before photographing the flowers for this book.

If you are interested in this book, or its companion, Hand Stitch Recognizable Summer Flowers, you can find them at eBookIt.com It is published in an ebook format to make it affordable for everyone.

Professionally colour printing a book with as many colour photos and diagrams as are included in this text is expensive. You can print it on your home colour printer.

If you would like a printed copy, please email me at [email protected]

The next entry will feature more gardens stitched by students.

A Garden of Spring and Summer Flowers

The medieval tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings is to leave France and head for England for first time in 950 years

Enjoy a post from the past

Saturday, October 14, 1066 The Battle of Hastings.

Enjoy a post from the past

Yet more gardens!

Enjoy a post from the past

More Spring Gardens all stitched by students

More Spring Gardens all stitched by students

Enjoy a post from the past

Cover for Hand Stitch Recognizable Spring Flowers – 2nd edition.

Enjoy a post from the past