"QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN" © 2019 - Blocks 30, 31

 

When we last heard about Mary Queen of Scots, she was leaving France as Dowager queen to return home to Scotland as the rightful Scottish queen (actually crowned at 9 months of age.)

"Leaving" is too tame a word.   She basically had to sneak home.  The British wanted nothing more than to capture her as she traveled between the France and England. 

There were two possibilities of a way home to Scotland; over land or over sea.  It was determined that the land journey was more dangerous, so the sea voyage was chosen.

Mary arrived safely home, with her "four Marie's" and with a proper welcome, from most.

Mary had a claim to the English throne (she and Queen Elizabeth were actually cousins.)  Queen Elizabeth had powerful advisors and lords who wanted Scotland under England's rule.  They feared the return of Queen Mary to Scotland due to her strength of character, great intelligence, knowledge of politics, and strong devotion to the Catholic church. 

Mary's elder, illegitimate step-brother had been acting the King during the latter period of Marie de Guise's Regency.  Mary's mother had also allowed her de Guise brothers, powerful men in the French court, to have influence from afar.

Meanwhile, England was trying to weedle the protestant faith into Scotland.  There were some Scots that were in agreement with this.  France and Scotland were both Catholic nations and allies against the English.

Mary went home to a real political mess and set about to gain control to establish/protect her power.  She, and most others, wanted a strong, independent Scotland.  A lesser number wanted the protestant movement to be successful.  

ROW TWO blocks are done and sewn together in a strip!  Only two new blocks to share this time as the other five blocks in ROW TWO have been posted previously:

Stargazer Lily

Ornamental Crabapple

Bleu Columbine was blogged on 02/26/2020.

Jonquilia Daffodil was blogged on 10/08/2020.

Bhagwa Pomegranate was blogged on 10/10/2020.

Crab Lily was blogged on 10-10-2020.

Challesas Grape was blogged on 05/11/2020.

I spent ever so much time moving the blocks around to achieve balance in this quilt top of such colorful and varied flowers.  I had to balance color, block density, flowers versus fruit, etc.  I'm not sure if I hit on the best arrangement.  After a while you stand back, squint at the design wall, shrug, and just say "yep."

You can ask da husbands as they walk by, but they usually don't even glance at the design wall and say, "looks great, dear."

In stitches,

Teresa 😏

"QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN" © 2019 - Blocks 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

When last we talked about Mary Queen of Scots, she was a widow and Dowager Queen of France.  She had married the younger Dauphin, Frances, son of King Francis, whom she had grown up around and liked very much.

Due to her mother's place in the French court, Mary had been sent at a young age, from Scotland, to be raised in the "royal nursery" of France.  That is where Mary knew and got close to the young Dauphin.   Here she was "finished" and polished as she grew up (the Scots were considered course in manner with speech and accent undignified.)

With her young husband, she was to be queen, but when he died, she was named the Dowager Queen.  Then her father-in-law died, and HIS wife, Catherine de Medici also became Dowager Queen.

One Dowager Queen was enough.

Mom, Marie de Guise, had stayed in Scotland separated from her daughter, as Regent, a "place keeper" for Mary.  Mary Queen of Scots had been Scotland's rightful queen since 9 months of age (her father died when she was 6 days old and she was, at that time, named as eventual queen.  Her dad had never even laid eyes on her.  

Time to sneak back into Scotland (the English didn't want her returning to be queen of Scotland.)  Mary, by birth, also had a claim to the English throne, but that is a whole other story.

ROW ONE of "Mary's Flower Garden" is all stitched up.  Also, six new blocks to complete the row.

French Marigold

Bijou Watermelon

Scotch Thistle

Some time ago, I made and installed a new and improved design wall downstairs near the quilt cave.  BUT, I recently brought the two old, saved pieces of design wall (from our Michigan to Alabama move) up to our large bedroom.  (I have started to take over the bedroom as well as the downstairs, ha!)  I just stand them up wherever they are out of the way at the time (I keep moving them around the room).

Golden Tulip

The husband is cool with this, unless the pieces are standing up against his bureau, the recliner, the TV, or the route to the kitchen.  Nice guy.

Moss Rose

Queen's Tea Rose

Millifiore Peony was blogged on 10/08/2020.  

It's really starting to get fun and ever-so-much-more motivating to see it all coming together!  

Having to walk by (or trip over) the boards all the time reminds me that I should be putting Mary ahead of housework, etc.

The 16th century embroidered pieces and collections of slips were worked butted up against each other on a single piece of waste canvas to be lifted and appliqued on clothing, extensive bedding, etc. Therefore, the multi-slip, possibly unfinished pieces could have been small wall hangings, incomplete and waiting for borders.  To me, this is unlikely.  Why cram them together?  

Even the slips of the first example are kind of close together.  The next two, with the repeated pears and blue flowers, seem to be worked lifting and applying to some kind of soft furnishing. 

I guess everyone who inked the images on waste canvas had a different idea.

The multiple directions of slips or "little flowers" pictured below show its probable future of utility purpose.

The motifs were worked this way to save canvas and make it possible to work them comfortably using a hoop in the lap rather then a floor frame.  This made it easier to gather in little groups and enjoy castle gossip and rumors/stories of intrigues.

Some lifted slips...

Gossipers...

Motifs were trimmed close enough to have just a thread or so to attach it to a larger expanse of cloth, as for bed curtains.  Decorative threads were satin-stitched over the motif edges to keep them in place...some with metallic thread.  Due to bulk of huge background, it was still probably tedious to apply the motifs, but much easier than working the intricate little slips on the huge expanses of fabric.

Background fabric was usually heavy wool or velvet.  Stony Scottish castles are damp, drafty, and cold!

(The caption above attributes Mary as the actual maker and talks about the "little flowers," or slips.)

ROW TWO is coming up next...so excited!

In stitches, 

Teresa, Queen of Quilt Cave

On another thread...

We still hanging out and isolating in NW Alabama.  Riley came home from Atlanta for a couple of days at Thanksgiving.  We were distanced and not hugging (frowny face), and she insisted that we wear masks the whole time (she's afraid she is going to kill her old parents). 

(will most likely be our Christmas card picture...second chin tucks right in there and my Covid-19 moustache/beard is hidden)

I will, most likely, mentally associate every individual block I've stitched on this "Mary" project since February with a movie or TV show (including episode, mind you.)  Thank you Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.

Do you do that?  I usually remember a general period of time with a quilt, but this is excessive!

Carve out some December for yourself!  I am, come Hell or high water.

"QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN" © 2019 - Blocks 21, 22, 23

 

Mary Queen of Scots, in a dress that I frankly don't understand, LOL.  What's with the lace, seemingly attached to nothing?

More QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN blocks!  I'm on a roll now.

                     Bhagwa Pomegranite

                             Crab Lily

                          Bearss Lime

It feels good to to finish so many blocks lately.  I'm working on finalizing the design for a border.  Getting that narrowed down has given me some momentum on the blocks.  Yahoo!

I'm trying to carve out sewing time FIRST, which is hard to do.  Putting on proverbial blinders is currently working.  Again, yahoo!

In stitches, 

Teresa   :o)

"QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN" © 2019 - Blocks 18, 19, 20

Baby Mary Queen of Scots

More blocks from my QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN project!  (it's about time...)

Brown-Eyed Susan

Millifiore Peony

Jonquilia Daffodil

More to come very soon...I have been stitching up a storm!

In Stitches,

Teresa   :o)

"QUEEN MARY'S GARDEN" © 2019 - Blocks 15, 16, 17

After Mary's marriage to Francis, Dauphin of France, she was not just Queen of Scotland, she was the French Dauphiness.  The depiction of Mary, above, contains the symbols of both Scotland and France.  Crests of each country appeared on linens, silver, banners, tapestries, etc.

It was the beginning of a new wave of creativity in France due to the influence of the Italian Renaissance. This was helped along by Queen Catherine de Medici, of Italian descent.

New design was partially influenced by recently published Italian books of natural history.  These books were based on scientific observation of plants and animals, rather than on the myths of the Middle Ages.  The books contained realistic pictures made from woodcuts.  Frenchmen followed with similar efforts published in French.

Only a year or so after Frances and Mary's wedding, Henry II's (father to Frances), died a tragic and premature death. Frances would ascend to the throne of France when of age, with his mother, Catherine de Medici named Regent until he was of age.

The year 1560 continued to provide sorrow for Mary.  Her mother, Regent of Scotland, died leaving Scotland's future in limbo.  Then, at the end of the year, Mary's frail husband died of a chill following hunting.

          Marie de Guise, Mary's mother

Francis's younger brother, Charles IX, would be become king of France when older, with his mother Catherine maintaining the Regency until he was old enough.  

After Henry II's premature death, Catherine became the Dowager Queen of France.  Now, following the death of Frances, Mary also gained that title of Dowager Queen. 

Two Dowager Queens.

Mary could have stayed in France at this time, but decided to return home to Scotland.

The arrows below show the influence for the first two blocks and I made up the third one.

Sherbet Trumpet

Old English Iris

And what is a flower and fruit quilt without my favorite fruit!

                                          Jewel Strawberry

 

Thanks for your patience...it is all coming together now!

Stay safe out there.

Teresa   :o)