Three New Birds and Cross Stitch Crazy Feature

In my first post of the year,  mentioned that something exciting was going to happen in February. It has been a goal of mine to have some kind of feature in a major cross stitching magazine and very soon after the new year, I was given the chance to be part of the Best For Modern Cross Stitch feature in Cross Stitch Crazy. I feel honoured to appear alongside so many talented and creative cross stitch creators.

Look for the issue with a beautiful carousel horse on the front. You may have noticed that I love Celtic art and so the Celtic alphabet designed by Lucie Heaton is right up my street!

Why do I suddenly have the urge to make a whole set of egg cosies?

And don't get me started on the cuteness and practicality of this awesome freebie!

I haven't even mentioned that Lauren Bacall is this month's Celeb Stitch. I actually went on ebay and bought a back issue featuring Humphrey Bogart so that I can (eventually!) display this iconic Hollywood couple together.

I bought the back issue from this seller who is raising money for Midlands Air Ambulance. There is a stash of Cross Stitch Crazy magazines available so it's worth taking a look if you want to add to your collection.

If you get your hands on the latest issue - 214 - look out for the  Best For Modern Cross Stitch feature on page 55 as several of the businesses featured are offering discounts for readers. If you find the code on my section, you can get 10% off all patterns in both my online shops until 31st March.

Don't forget, if you live in the UK, you can avoid a 20% EU VAT charge by buying my patterns from my Payhip shop.

I have just added three more birds to my collection and I'm currently working on a Celtic-themed WIP. You can see progress shots by following me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Happy stitching!

Hearts Entwined

We're halfway through February which means St Valentine's Day (or as I like to call it, the day after my birthday) has come and gone. Of course, you don't really need a specific day to express your love for someone special. When hearts are entwined, they're entwined forever.

Inspiration for my latest design came from what you may consider to be a surprising source - a Celtic animal design in the Book of Kells. I could see straight away how the knotwork could be made into hearts that would be perfect for a wedding sampler.

To add even more romance, I worked the hearts in colours reminiscent of an English rose garden, with vintage pinks and greens.

I also added a few beads to give an extra-special finishing touch.

You can use the alphabet included in the chart to personalise your sampler to celebrate a wedding, civil partnership or anniversary. 

Find this pattern and many more at hawthorntreedesigns.com

I'm still working on other designs that will be available later this year and I'm also planning a few tutorials which I think you'll find to be lots of fun. After all, crafting should be about having fun just as much as creating something beautiful.

There's plenty of work for my fingers to be getting on with,

Happy Stitching!

New Pattern: Kells Corners

It's now October and this year seems to be flying by! I've been working on ways to use up my ridiculously large stack of craft papers and various bits and bobs. I've already come up with some hand-stitched Christmas card ideas but that's for another time.

I've also added a new Celtic pattern to my shop. This one has a very different look to the others. It is based on a little geometric motif at the corners of a portrait of St Matthew in the Book of Kells. 

Kells Corners

It fits perfectly into a 7-inch hoop but would also make a great cushion cover or a design for a tote bag.

You can of course stitch it in any colours you like, and that little space in the centre is the perfect place for a button.

When you've stitched it, you can either frame it as pictured at the top or turn it around and frame it so that it looks more like the bottom picture.

You can buy the pattern on Etsy and Payhip (remember, if you live in the UK you won't have to pay EU VAT if you buy through Payhip).

www.hawthorntreedesigns.com

An October Wedding

Do you remember when I said I was working on a wedding sampler but I wasn't able to say too much? Well, even though the wedding isn't until Monday, the bride-to-be has already opened her presents so I can now show you what I made...

 

 

I went for a relatively simple design overall but with Celtic knot detail at each corner. This is the first time I've worked white thread onto white fabric. It was certainly a challenge and I'm glad I decided to do just the corners but I'm very happy with the result.

 

 

The central motif is a Claddagh - an Irish symbol made from three components: a heart for love, hands for friendship and a crown for loyalty.

 

 

Emma, the bride-to-be was so happy with it she cried! She sent Mum a message saying how she loved the personal nature of the gift.

 

I'm sure there have many more brides who have received beautiful handmade gifts this year from relatives and friends who have taken the time to create something special. Those of us who love embroidery are always happy to have an excuse to use our skills for such projects. My hands have been busy with a couple more smaller projects but I can't show you them just yet.

 

I'll reveal all in my next post.

 

New Blackwork Pattern - Durrow Celtic Knots

I'm very excited about my latest blackwork pattern. It is another version of my Durrow Celtic Knots design. I stitched the blackwork version of it a couple of years ago and I've been wanting to share the pattern with you for a really long time but I had some technical problems to overcome. I won't bore you with the details but after a bit of tweaking, I have now been able to put the pattern in the shop.

The pattern has the same layout as the cross stitch version but is worked entirely in back stitch (or Holbein stitch if your prefer.) 

At each corner is an area of beautiful and intricate blackwork. These sections can be used for smaller projects like greeting cards or coasters.

This is certainly not a pattern for the less patient stitcher but if you love blackwork and are looking for a challenge, then this is the perfect place to find it! Whenever I work large patterns, they remind me that not everything in life can be achieved instantly. It is no bad thing to have to wait a long time to finish something and in the case of this embroidery, it will certainly be worth the wait.

I have worked this pattern in traditional black but you should feel free to use whatever colours you like.

It is one of my plans to have more blackwork patterns on sale as it is a form of embroidery I really do love. Keep checking back as I have several more in the planning.

You can also find two cross stitch patterns based on this design from the Book of Durrow. You can find them all at hawthorntreedesigns.com





New Pattern: Ahenny Celtic Cross

I've just added a new pattern to both my Etsy and Payhip shops.

 

 

Ahenny Celtic Cross is already one of my favourites and was a joy to work on. It is inspired by knotwork carved onto the North Cross, one of the two high crosses at Kilclispeen Cemetery, Ahenny, County Tipperary, Ireland.

 

The two stone crosses are all that remains of a monastery that was on the site and are believed to date from the eighth or ninth century. They are amongst the earliest examples of ringed crosses.

 

 

This pattern is perfect for those of you who love Celtic art or who want to stitch something connected to ancient Ireland.

 

This will be the last Celtic design I release for a while as there are other design projects I'll be concentrating on for the next few months. My main priorities are forthcoming bird collection to compliment my popular bullfinches design and the Leopold alphabet.

 

Unfortunately, the Pentrich revolution embroidery project has been cancelled due to lack of support. This is very disappointing for me and the organisers of the project but they still have plenty of other things planned. I may still be able to donate a contribution to the art exhibition if I can find the time to make something.

 

 

I have also updated my logo and Etsy shop banner to freshen things up a little. I'll be updating all of my pattern cover pages with this new look too.

 

 

To buy the pattern, you can either click on the Etsy listing at the top of the page or click below to go to my Payhip shop.

 

https://payhip.com/b/nciR

New Pattern: Gallia, Goddess of Gaul

We've been enjoying beautiful weather here in the Amber Valley for the last few days so I've been working with the window open. As I write there are swifts, swallows and house martins flying over and the roses are in full bloom.

 

It's that time of year when we can enjoy crafting outside for a change. I have just added my latest pattern to my Etsy and Payhip stores: meet Gallia, Goddess of Gaul.

 

 

This design is based on an image found on a Roman coin dating from the middle of the first century. The region that the Romans called Gaul covered much of central Europe from France to Switzerland and parts of Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. You may also have heard of it as the home of Asterix and his friends!

 

There are a number of variations on this image on different coins. Some are described as being a captive Gaulish woman but others are said to show the land of Gaul represented as a goddess. There is a reference to Gallia in an inscription on the remains of a Roman garrison near Hadrian's Wall called Vindolanda but very little is known about her. It may be that she was more of a symbol, like Britannia or Marianne.

 

Whatever she may have meant to the people of Gaul, she is a strong image of ancient womanhood. Rather than being made to look pretty, she has dishevelled hair and a defiant gaze which speaks to women in the 21st century.

 

You can buy the pattern by clicking on the Etsy listing at the top of the page or by clicking here to go to my Payhip shop.

 

(c) Karen Eley/The Hawthorn Tree

 



Something Old, Something New

If you've already had a look of the patterns I have available, then you'll know I have one based on a carpet page from the Book of Durrow. This is an ancient manuscript dating form the 7th century and is believed to be the oldest of its kind. It is currently housed in the library of Trinity College, Dublin.

 

 

A carpet page is a page that is covered in artwork rather than script. You cannot help but think of the monks who meticulously marked out the design before carefully drawing it and adding the right colours. The palette for such designs was fairly limited at the time as the colours were all derived from natural materials, and some of them were very expensive.

 

The modern stitcher has no such problem, we can choose from hundreds of colours and several different threads. I have stitched both of my Durrow-inspired designs in modern shades.

 

It occurred to me that not everyone is as obsessed with Celtic design as I am and not everyone would want to take on a project that is as large as my original pattern. So, I have adapted it to fit into a 7-inch hoop and I've stitched it in a fresh set of colours to give it a different look to the original. Of course, if you would like to choose your own choice of colours then please feel free to do so. Simply use my pattern as a guide. 

 

 

You can find the pattern in my Etsy shop by clicking on the listing at the top of the page or you can click here to go to my Payhip shop.

 

 

I'm currently working on a fun little pattern that I'll be releasing as a freebie very soon. If you'd like to keep in touch you can find me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

Photos (c) Karen Eley 2015