This little sampler was designed for the 2009 Ighali Embroidery Convention in Fish Hoek Cape Town by Leslie-Ann Meek. These old photos don't do it justice but the silk threads we used have the most beautiful lustre.
Notable characteristics of Cape Town are represented in the different bands - vineyards and their abundant wine-making grapes; ubiquitous oak trees that drop acorns and leaves with their resident squirrels;
and a sampler representing Cape Town wouldn't be complete without Table Mountain, its unique fynbos vegetation and its proteas.
I was reminded of my sampler when I came across Lesson 269 for Queen Stitch on Queenie's Needlework blog because I used Queen stitch for the proteas. I found it a tricky stitch to do especially on 40 count linen with silk thread. But I found it both interesting and rewarding to stitch and I like the way it suits the petals of the proteas. Getting the angles correct in the Montenegrin Stitch mountain was also a challenge.
If you're looking for unusual stitches, Queenie has gathered all sorts of stitches and has clear photos that describes how to do them on her blog Queenie's Needlework. She is gradually including the stitches on an intriguing sampler that you can see by clicking here.
Till next time, happy stitching!
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* Fynbos is an Afrikaans word literally meaning fine bush.
