tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72581080545651521562012-02-14T07:27:45.453ZHi, welcome to my blog, which is all about my interest in cross stitch, art and life in the North of England.Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.comBlogger251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-22251573309730182102011-11-30T13:39:00.001Z2011-12-02T18:19:17.727Z

Historical Cross Stitch - Part V This cross stitch and backstitch piece shows Geoffrey Chaucer, as a pilgrim. He is on his way to Canterbury to the shrine of St Thomas Becket, whose infamous murder in Canterbury Cathedral featured in one of my previous designs. To his left is a woman engaged in spinning wool, one of the major female pursuits of the time. Chaucer Cross Stitch Some of us will

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-1194074959195853722011-10-16T10:29:00.000+01:002011-10-16T10:29:47.813+01:00

I can’t believe I've left it so late finishing the presents for Christmas again! I like to give things which don’t take too long to make, but are attractive and hopefully useful. Fewer people have time to make personal gifts by hand these days (actually I’m not sure I have either!). So they do seem to be really appreciated by those who receive them. This year I am giving cross stitched perfumed

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-4339313975345968272011-08-22T10:11:00.005+01:002011-08-22T10:17:57.718+01:00

William Blake was not only a great painter and poet, but also a visionary and a mystic. As a poet he gave us the words for the hymn Jerusalem, which is now regarded as Britain’s other national anthem. As an artist he gave us many wonderful paintings. Blake’s Newton was probably his most famous painting and this cross stitch pays homage not only to that important painting but also to Isaac

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-59483572277143423382011-07-26T18:54:00.002+01:002011-08-22T10:20:03.464+01:00

Historical Cross Stitch - Section VI No English historical project could be complete without including a castle. These have been of prime military importance for centuries and have played a central role in shaping our history. Whoever controlled the castle, controlled the surrounding countryside.  Bodiam Castle Cross Stitch  Bodiam Castle in Sussex is one of the most beautiful castles

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-83477032831918644792011-06-28T06:21:00.001+01:002011-07-26T18:48:40.269+01:00

There was great excitement last week when the Queen visited Alnwick. Like everyone else, we turned out to see the Royal couple, despite the rather unpromising weather. The Queen and Prince Philip had arrived in the Royal Train at Alnmouth Station and then came into the town by road, flanked by Police motorcycle outriders. The highlight of the day was Her Majesty’s visit to Alnwick Castle and a

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-35375642766421180742011-05-23T08:40:00.000+01:002011-07-26T19:03:24.759+01:00

Another family wedding and another opportunity to make a special cross stitch card for the occasion. This time the wedding was a rather Scottish affair, because of the many Scottish connections in the family. All the men in the wedding party were in Highland dress: which looked splendid. The kilts were modern tartan with mainly shades of grey and smart tweed jackets. I am always amused by the

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-55704203396864894692011-04-30T17:00:00.002+01:002011-07-26T18:46:00.621+01:00

This is the second completed panel in my project to explore the history of England in cross stitch. Historical Cross Stitch Panel It features the events of 1066 and the Norman Conquest of England, so beautifully portrayed in the Bayeux Tapestry. The Normans changed England forever, but like the Romans and the Vikings before them they were assimilated into English society, to produce the nation

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-44151264408609752822011-03-12T10:22:00.000Z2011-07-26T19:04:12.074+01:00

Our recent family wedding had a theme of country flowers running through it. Bright colours and beautiful blooms are a fabulous backdrop to these occasions. These flowers looked wonderful in the Bride’s bouquet and as decorations in the lovely old stone church. So I was asked to make a wedding cake covered in country flowers. This was quite a challenge with the different shapes of the petals,

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-39937320863228765472011-01-16T20:45:00.003Z2011-07-26T19:14:07.477+01:00

Hisorical Cross Stitch - Part IV This piece in backstitch and cross stitch depicts the murder of St Thomas of Canterbury. This is a fascinating story, from his relatively humble beginnings in London to becoming one of the great English saints. Thomas Becket was born in 1118 and rose to become Archbishop of Canterbury. As the Primate of England, he clashed with King Henry II who had him killed,

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-79280588484178660822010-11-18T15:47:00.002Z2011-07-26T19:18:26.560+01:00

This is the first completed panel in my historical cross stitch project, bringing together the previous designs for Queen Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare and Sir Francis Drake. Elizabethan Cross Stitch Panel It features Queen Elizabeth I, who reigned from 1558 to 1603. Despite expectations at the time, this was no weak female monarch. In fact she showed that she was a true daughter of King

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-49001355576707802372010-09-26T20:12:00.001+01:002011-07-26T19:32:12.228+01:00

Following on from my last post about ideas for co-ordinating wedding decorations, flowers, stationery etc., this is the cross stitch card which I made for my Daughter's wedding. It was inspired by the wedding cake, which I mentioned previously. The colours used matched the claret and silver colour scheme for the wedding. Cross Stitch Wedding Card I stitched it on 14-count white aida cloth

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-91057886147353544252010-09-12T09:48:00.020+01:002010-09-26T19:34:46.225+01:00

I was asked the other day about ideas for wedding decorations, cross stitch etc. and how to tie it all in to that very special occasion.  So I thought that it might be of interest to outline what I had done for my daughter’s wedding. The colour scheme for the wedding was claret and silver. Not that we particularly set out to have a “colour scheme”, but as the bridesmaids' dresses were claret and

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-21021327133822157992010-08-18T16:03:00.010+01:002010-09-24T21:00:41.148+01:00

I thought for the next section of my historical cross stitch project, I would create a design based around the most famous date in English history. In the year 1066 the Norman French, led by William the Conqueror, invaded England. Having landed on the south coast, the Norman army marched inland, where they were met by King Harold and the English army at Hastings. A bloody battle ensued, where

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-235773081579429602010-07-20T12:10:00.004+01:002010-09-24T19:42:19.370+01:00

Each year I like to give a few friends and members of the family something cross-stitched for Christmas. So I have started early to give myself plenty of stitching time.Eventually everyone will end up with a little memento, which gives them that nice feeling (hopefully), that it has been handmade especially for them.Now there are not that many designs suitable for men. But I think this one is

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-34442681655403429182010-01-13T19:35:00.000Z2010-01-13T20:07:25.143Z

It's really good to get back to some creative cross stitch, after all the upheavals of the floods etc. I am continuing with characters from English history. So having started with Queen Elizabeth I and her buccaneering Sir Francis Drake, the next obvious character to stitch from that time was William Shakespeare. To my mind, one of the greatest writers and playwrights of all time. But being

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-63071341853503478972009-12-19T18:12:00.000Z2009-12-23T10:28:32.005Z

A number of meetings were held after the floods, including one organised by the excellent Coquet Flood Victim Support Group. This included a company who supply flood defence equipment for householders. The most useful items, which my Mother and a number of neighbours installed in their own homes, were flood shields and special air bricks.Air bricks have large air holes to allow for ventilation of

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-53021374246184595192009-12-05T17:42:00.000Z2009-12-16T20:49:36.543Z

It was quite shocking going back into my Mother’s home after the flood. Tom had to push his way in because the furniture had been floating around and when the water subsided it had left everything lying around in heaps. Even the freezer had come to rest on its side behind the kitchen door - full of ruined food of course.The whole place smelled terrible and very humid, even after the doors and

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-32908877653590792822009-11-15T18:22:00.000Z2009-12-15T18:46:01.313Z

During the last fifteen months there has been a tremendous upset in the lives of many families in Northumberland. It all began in September 2008 when a whole month’s rain fell in twenty four hours. The ground was already saturated as a result of rainfall in the preceding days and so this deluge of water ran straight into the streams and rivers, turning them into raging torrents.It was just so

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-6435266473507763032008-06-16T16:13:00.001+01:002010-04-20T19:22:02.652+01:00

One of the problems in interpreting the wonderful architecture in the North of England is the intricate detail on the ancient buildings. A particular problem is how to show a huge and highly detailed stained glass window in a cross stitch picture.I thought that the way we tackled this design issue on our York Minster cross stitch might be of interest.York Minster is one of the largest gothic

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-64540598964125218522008-02-11T19:32:00.001Z2008-02-12T11:53:51.345Z

This is the start of my current cross stitch project. It is going to be a collection of characters and events from English history. I thought I would start by stitching England's most famous monarch - who also happens to be a woman.My aim is to bring together characters from the same period. So I thought I would start with the great Elizabethan adventurer and explorer Sir Francis Drake.It was he

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-80263354415948261682008-02-11T13:58:00.000Z2008-03-16T09:35:37.909Z

Some of my favourite cross stitch designs are based on the work of the Lancashire artist L S Lowry.Lowry is well known for his paintings of urban landscapes, and industrial working class scenes in the North of England. His holidays were spent in Berwick upon Tweed in Northumberland and Saltburn in County Durham, where he painted local scenes in addition to his well known images of Lancashire.

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-91967238000243009202008-02-10T15:34:00.000Z2008-02-11T15:16:23.348Z

Last weekend we were in the West Midlands. Of course being interested in textile art we went to visit Coventry Cathedral, to see the world’s largest tapestry. It was actually our second visit – but it was still quite amazing. The story of what happened here is well worth telling, and it goes like this…It began one dark night in 1940, when hundreds of German aircraft appeared in the skies over

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-67071806310060736292008-02-08T11:37:00.003Z2011-07-26T15:38:56.671+01:00

Now for something a little more 'down to earth'. This cross stitch card was originally designed for a friend's birthday. Many people are so busy these days, and have so little time to do things. So I think when they receive a hand-made greetings card they really seem to appreciate it. After all, someone has taken the time to make it especially for them. Cross Stitch Card It is stitched on a

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-8727988021956817932008-02-06T20:18:00.001Z2011-07-26T15:33:05.137+01:00

One of the most special places in Northumberland is Holy Island, which we often visit. Known in ancient times as Lindisfarne, this rugged island is linked to the mainland by a narrow causeway and is cut off by the incoming tide twice a day. In fact the tide can come in so quickly that visitors sometimes have to be rescued from their cars, and winched to safety by helicopter! So it is well worth

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7258108054565152156.post-31487323177499281792008-02-04T19:22:00.002Z2010-04-20T19:41:40.495+01:00

My interests in life (before the children came along) have always been centred around art, design and crafts. So after completing a degree in fine art at Nottingham, I started teaching art in High school. Although this was enjoyable and satisfying, it did not leave me much time for my own creative pursuits.I had the idea that running a craft shop would enable me to do my own artistic thing, bring

Juliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13142106928761116096noreply@blogger.com0