"QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN" © 2024 - Back to "Queen Mary's Garden"

 

SHE'S BACK.   SHE'S BACK?   SHE'S BACK!!

"QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN" borders are designed, glue-basted, hand-appliqued, soaked to remove glues, trimmed to fit, embroidered, and FINALLY sewn surrounding my 49 flower blocks...for better or worse.

Now I need to take pictures of the top and get on with organizing backing, batting, and binding.

I really had trouble deciding on what to do with the borders for Queen Mary.  Designing by the seat of my pants gets me in trouble most of the time.  My naughty, undisciplined brain gremlin falls in a ditch and I'm unclear on how to get out and make the best of things.  Then I remembered what was hinted on the panel of slips below...

Birds?  Hmm...are these more practice/practical motifs, crammed on the edge of the waste canvas stitching already in progress?  They are closely placed, with no stop border or boundary.  

Getting to design fun birds?  Deal me in!

Lots of design fodder out there...some pictures are creepy.

Some of them are very creepy...

The types of antique stitcheries that survived and inspired me are thought not to be finished pieces or samplers, but just collections of stitched "slips" that were meant for applying to clothing, large bedding, tapestries etc.  Most of these were lost to fading and poor storage.  

Finished bug motifs, edges ready to be applied to clothing, bedding, tapestries...

Backside of a floral slip, ready to "applique"...

Waste canvas panel of repeated motifs (from the year 1625)...

Stitchery found at Traquair House is credited to Queen Mary and her ladies (the "four Marie's").  These noblewomen were in her court and went with her everywhere, especially in her last months.  Traquair House, in Scotland, was one of the many large/small houses or castles between which Mary traveled to hide from her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Cousin Elizabeth ended up beheading Mary, afraid that she would ascend to the English throne and unite England and Scotland under Catholicism.

But I digress, I decided to try birds, mostly, with bugs, snails, butterflies, and a few small garden creatures.  Here's a weird turtle...

  

As posted above, I did not get my inspiration from this depiction.

Legendary beasts of stories and fanciful imagination were still being used...unicorns, griffins, dragons, centaurs, mermaids, serpents, and big cats like lions and tigers.  There are lots of "grotesques" (that's what they're actually called) combining animal parts with some human parts.

Lions were often depicted with sort of human faces...along with owls, for some reason.  I guess if you had seen an owl in the year 1600 or earlier, you would draw the best sketch of what you had seen in person.  Some of these really creep me out as well!  

But, they are fun (the one above reminds me of a former boss.)  Many birds depicted in old illuminated manuscripts and musical scores, sacred and secular, are extremely whimsical, and I am addicted to their big feet.

Well, I've chosen a whole sanctuary of birds on the wing chasing each other around the perimeter of my fruit and flower blocks.  These whimsical, fictional, preening fluffers are drawn in the style of early bird drawings.  There were lots of giggles from the Quilt Cave while drafting them.

Since my flower/fruit blocks are based on the drawing style of the year 1600's, it didn't make sense to try too hard to draw realistic birds.

I have always thought of these texts as a real art form...beautiful calligraphy, rich colors, flora/fauna, and either religious art or simple, pious souls depicted.  Butt, (literally)...

I'm hoping these are secular...

Wow!  I think scribes in the abbeys and artists of local humble villages were drinking a little too much of the proverbial "ceremonial wine." 

Looking closely, there are a lot of weird, shocking details in most of the music scores and manuscripts that I came across.  Very entertaining.

Stitcheries of the time depicted a fanciful version of nature.  The "Herbals" were books containing sketches of plants that started appearing in the later 16th century.  As time went by, early naturalists journeyed far and wide, sketching more realistic images of flora.

Actual, reasonable depictions of birds, beasts, and sea creatures...ahem...came later.

I definitely went overboard with the birdies.  It was just so darned entertaining to doodle them!  Now my quilt is HUGE!

I will post individual birds until I get pictures of the finished flimsy.  It's difficult because the top is bigger than I thought (too many birds).  There's no good place in whole house that is tall or uncluttered enough to get good shots.

My brother visited and suggested making some more design wall panels so I can hang it sideways for pictures.  Why not?

In stitches,

Teresa

"QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN" © 2019 - Blocks 51, 52

 

Mary faces the gallows with courage!!

Belles of Ireland

Bearded Iris

Happy Stitching!

Teresa

"QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN" © 2019 - Blocks 49, 50 and ROW 7

 

Lazy Lily was blogged on 04/09/19.

Honey Belle was blogged on 04/17/19.

Jewel Strawberry was blogged on 08/07/20.

Sugar Snap Peas was blogged on 02/26/20.

Ruby Tulip was blogged on 05/11/20.

Rabbit Blueberries

Lisbon Lemon

Happy stitching!

Teresa

"QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN" © 2019 - Blocks 45, 46, 47, 48 and ROW 6

 

Four more blocks brings us to SIX rows!  This is definitely beginning to look like a finished center of a quilt top rather than some random blocks.  One more row to go.

Sherbet Trumpet was blogged on 08/07/20.

Old English Iris was blogged on 08/07/20.

Little Dwarf Lily was blogged on 03/22-20.

Gerbera Daisies

Elf Sunflower

Glohaven Peach

Saffron Crocus

Happy stitches,

Teresa

"QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN" © 2019 - Block 44 and ROW 5

Mary Queen of Scots' life is getting rather complicated following her return from France to England.  As the now seated Queen of Scotland, she was young, powerful, and beautiful with a determined strength and vigor.  She was certainly strong and smart enough to be Queen.  Her next husband would not officially be a Scottish King, but a King consort.

Growing up in the French Court, she was encouraged by her de Guise Uncles and King Henry II (the father of her betrothed Dauphin Francis II) to join discussions.  She had the freedom to express her own opinions, even in political matters.  Her exposure to this rare, female opportunity gave Mary the knowledge and confidence to go home and assume her thrown. 

Current, and future, cast of characters (from left to right):

Rizzio, Mary's secretary and closest confidant

 

Everyone had an idea of who Mary's second husband should be. Her advisors were, of course, thinking only of politics and Scotland's allies/enemies list.  England and Queen Elizabeth had their own ideas and even had men "planted" into Mary's inner circle, acting as influencers and providing intelligence.  Elizabeth was still concerned about Mary's "Stuart legitimacy" claim to the British throne and was intimidated by her strength and popularity.

Of course, the de Guise side of Mary's family had matrimonial plans for her as well.  Mary's mother, Marie de Guise of France, had come to Scotland to act as Reagent "place keeper" for Mary.  After all, she was barely born when the death of her father had left her the throne.  Mother Marie had powerful brothers in the French court which kept France's interests at the forefront.  

France, as a fellow Catholic country, was a strong ally with Scotland.  They needed each other's support against England, now Protestant following Henry VIII's "divorce national conversion."  England wanted to stamp out Catholicism in the region.

Edenborough was fairly strongly Catholic, but outlying Scottish Clans sort of did their own thing.  They basically wanted to be left alone, not wanting to work together against the English.  The clans were too busy stealing and fighting with each other.

There were skirmishes near the border with England.  Mary would ride out with her soldiers in battles.  It is said that Mary was not totally opposed to Protestantism, she mainly wanted to be able to be a strong, practicing Catholic herself.

Then, there was her older half-brother...he had gained some support for being the rightful King before Mary returned home to Scotland.  He was trying to undercut her authority and had his own band of soldiers.

It is said that the King never even saw his daughter Mary as he was near death and she was born hours after he died.  Then, there was Mary's right to the thrown...she was the king's legitimate heir.  Her older brother was only a half brother, which was also a thorny situation.

But what about love?  Mary was pushed and pulled and finally ended up marrying Lord Darnley.  It is thought that Darnley was pushed into the marriage merry-go-round by Queen Elizabeth and her advisers.  

ROW FIVE is done and on the design wall.  My bedroom design wall is smaller than the one in the basement...I've about reached its limit.

Queen Pineapple was blogged on 01/04/21.

Morella Cherry was blogged on 01/04/21.

Spring Starflower was blogged on 01/04/21.

Damson Plum was blogged on 12/08/18.

Bearss Lime was blogged on 10/10/20.

Marguerite Daisy was blogged on 03/22/20.

Worchester Apple 

Eight more blocks, then on to the nutty bird border!  I am trying to control myself drawing the birds, but they are all based on 16th-17th century art, manuscripts, and embroideries.  

I'm finding it hard not "fixing" the drawings to be less fanciful and more "normal."  It's a challenge for me to be faithful to the interpretations of flora and fauna by the artisans and crafters from that time period...I want things a little more anatomically accurate, I guess.

And the wild colors they used...yikes!  Although, I have to admit reproducing mystery flowers and birds in unnatural, unusual colors has been freeing! 

From the little bit I've read about the lives of that era, an embroidery project using bright silks was probably a big help coping and balancing some of the daily difficulties.

In stitches, 

Teresa   :o)

On another thread...

I am still here!  I have my second Covid-19 shot this week, but I am in a state where the split between vaxed and not-vaxed is about 50/50.  So I am still mostly stuck at home with my post-pneumonia sensitive lungs, heart arrhythmia, etc.

I am so jealous of all of you getting so much done during the shutdown!  Being under house-arrest for 12+ months and the whole 2020 year made me feel so helpless.  It totally interfered with my creativity, which leaves me depressed and irritated.  

I missed my 92-yr-old beloved aunt, siblings, nieces and nephews, quilt guilds, quilt shows, traveling to Michigan to see friends, etc.  SO many small businesses closed in the Shoals area...even some major chain restaurants and stores.

Here's to getting out and getting back to normal (and feeling more joyous)!!