It's the first Saturday of the month so time for the People's Choice SAL run by Jo from Serendipitous Stitching. Continued thanks to Jo for hosting this unique SAL which has a different theme each month.
This month's theme is freedom.
Two things spring to mind with freedom; the first is the USA and Land Of The Free, and the second is animals. Not being American, that version of freedom doesn't resonate with me, so I'm going to go with the second.
I don't like to think of animals being held captive in zoos etc. but also understand that this is necessary to protect them from humans and possible extinction. At least animal welfare has dramatically improved; what a difference between me going to the zoo as a child and taking my own children 30 years later.
I've stitched quite a lot of projects which could represent animal freedom but have narrowed it down to just a few where, in an ideal world, these animals would only be seen in their natural habitats.
Midnight Elephant by True Colors was my first ever project in 1993/1994. It was stitched on 14ct black and I distinctly remember starting and finishing each thread length with *cringe* knots! Well, I didn't know any different back then!
Dolphin Splash followed soon after, on a piece of shiny aida which was only available in 11ct. I'd quite happily stitch this one again, only on a higher count.
Koala was a magazine project stitched in 1999, when DMC were having trouble with the consistency of their greys. To get the right shades I had to use a mixture of Anchor and DMC but, as a lot of the design called for blended threads, you wouldn't know!
As for WIPs, I think the best 'freedom' WIP to show you is Pandas by Gloria and Pat. This was started in 2015 with just the grass and backstitching now left to do. My pandas are actually the proper black, white and grey, not a green shade as picked up in the less-than-colour-accurate photo!
On a tangent, when I see pandas I always think of one of the best British commercials ever from the 1990s. If you're in the UK you might know which one I'm talking about. I found it here on YouTube if you're interested.
As for stash, well, Elephant Stampede has to top the list. It's quite a large project but I've found (although not yet bought) some fabric which mimics the background, so all I'd have to stitch is the elephant and dust clouds. Maybe one day...
Hummingbird In Flight by John Clayton is another bird chart I've inherited from my mum. I don't have a bucket list but if I did seeing hummingbirds in the wild would definitely be on it.
And there concludes my interpretation of 'freedom' and the wildlife we would only see in their natural habitats in an ideal world. I hope you enjoyed it.
Next month's theme is geometric. I have a feeling this might involve the use of lots of hand-dyed variegated threads.
Take care,
Rachel x
I love the fabric you're planning to use for Elephant stampede. Since I'm in the US, I'd go for your first definition. I never thought of animals as representing freedom before.
ReplyDeleteFreedom can mean different things to different people. The pandas are very cute and I love hummingbirds.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking part in The People's Choice this month. I love your interpretation of the theme. This is exactly what I had in mind when I started the SAL - more abstract ideas which people could put their own spin on.
ReplyDeleteYour pandas are cute and they look grey on my laptop screen.
I haven't watched the advert yet but the image that comes to mine is a character from Justin Fletcher's CBeebies show where he tries to find the elusive panda who keeps appearing on camera whenever he isn't looking!
Ohh I love your interpretation of freedom. How fun. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great interpretation of Freedom, there are so many animals that need our support. Lovely stitching too.
ReplyDeleteSo many lovely animal projects! That fabric for the elephants looks amazing! Hope you get around to stitching on it one day:D
ReplyDeleteI love your freedom stitching, especially the darling koala!
ReplyDeleteThat would be great fabric for the elephant.
And I do remember that ad during my summers there!
Great post, these are some fantastic projects! Regarding hummingbirds, I haven't been there, but there's a place in Algonquin Park in northern Ontario where they have had feeders out for years, and they have so many hummingbirds there! We get an occasional one to our hostas, if you don't have those in the UK, they have several white or mauve trumpet like flowers on a long stem, so perfect for hummingbirds and bees.
ReplyDeleteGreat interpretation of the subject! I might let myself be inspired by this. I think my favourite are the little pandas, they are so very cute!
ReplyDeleteI love your interpretation of the theme Freedom. You have stitched some gorgeous projects. I yet have to do a realistic animal project.
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