"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)

Embarrassingly brown thumb and a goat bedtime story and cartoon montage...

I have to say that you're the most gracious, kind people on the planet!  

With much kindness and deep appreciation of your sincerity, I laughed so hard when I saw that some of you thought I actually grow produce right now!  Actually my husband was laughing harder, and I (acting like he had hurt my feelings), was nearly peeing my pants from laughing on the inside. 

I can grow blueberries, tons of them.  Too many years invested in their establishment.  We even have some pears and the occasional persimmon, if the deer don't get them...or hobo goats.

If you are near, COME PICK SOME in about 3 weeks!

I go and buy three or four cases of greenish bananas on Wednesday mornings to donate to the Food bank.  That's what we are spending that government check until/if Steve is laid off and we need it.

My father had established a practically deer-proof garden plot years ago.  It was for vegetables, constructed using tall dog kennel panels.  He was a busy doctor, but still took time to grow squash, okra, and string beans.  He had a green thumb, but no time.  Those veg choices are hardy here, even with random care.

My grandparents had amazing gardens and orchards...they completely lived on the land (they also had a small herd of beef cows for some of their meat).  Granddaddy taught Vocational Agriculture at the local county high school.  

Their gardening magic didn't wear off on me, though I spent hours and hours helping them when visiting.  I helped weed, pick, peel, pare, snap, pickle, blanch, and freeze/can.  

I also learned how to sun dry apple slices on a scrap piece of corrugated barn roofing sheet metal on the bed of an old pick-up truck out back.  How about that.  (My Grandmother made the BEST hand pies from these, year round.)

Anyway, I wish I had a "before" picture of the enclosure.  I was really embarrassed of it's state of being...how many of us take pictures to intentionally share honest pictures of things that shame us?  Having a garden is not at the top of the to-do list.  And the wild stuff slowly continued to grow.

No matter how hard I work, it always seems like I am chasing something beyond my ability.  The enclosure is completely grown over with volunteer trees, large bushes, wild blackberry vines, huge thorn vines, honeysuckle, wild grapevine, etc.  Vines are even weaving in and out of the chain link panels.

Lovely.

On a side note, stop reading right now if you don't like a good hobo goat bedtime story from last June-July...

Hobo goats are one of the uninvited scourges of rural living.  There is a U-shaped end of our valley (with a sheer, rocky, 30-ft drop between our property and some goats).  That means, there are two 30-ft drops between us and neighbors "across the holler."

A big, bad Billy from "over thar" escaped with four nannies in tow. They actually went down the far side and up on this side.  I don't know how.

I saw the goats here off and on for almost two weeks before I decided they weren't leaving.  Of course Steve was up north with his dad for several weeks.  I put some poster signs out at the main road with my phone number.  Since I wasn't trying to shoot them, they obviously took that as a welcome mat and felt at home despite my metal pot and spoon.

A neighbor (of a girlfriend, of a sister, of a guy's sister-in-law) saw the poster and called the "owner," Mike.  After a week of the goats missing, he had figured a wolf or a bob cat had gotten to them and he had stopped looking.

Even though we are close "as the crow flies," by pick-up truck it is a little of a drive.  I don't think it occurred to him that Billy would lead his harem over to our side of the mountain.

Meanwhile, those darn walking garbage disposals ate pears, little apples, persimmons, and iris blades.  They broke off both of the little apple trees, AT THE TRUNK.  They also broke most of the limbs on the larger apple, broke the trunk of a crepe myrtle I had been nursing, and did damage to the pear and persimmon trees, breaking bottom limbs getting the upper fruit.  

Billy was a big, tall, old fool.  He knocked fruit off the trees for his four girlfriends.

We had a few, poorly-producing blueberry bushes that my parents had planted twenty years ago.  They were planted too near the house before a surrounding tree canopy grew.  Those idiot hobos ate those struggling berry bushes to the ground.