From the 'Stitching Frame'

[boatbuilder]

Couldn't think of a better title for this topic so will make do with that.

Having posted a couple of images in the 'quiz' topic I thought I would post these images of some of the cross-stitch pictures my wife has created over the years.

[boatbuilder]

....and three more.

[nikkai]

A very talented Mrs BB
Beautiful work we only have one small cross stitch which the daughter did for our wedding, Im not sure where it is as I haven't seen it since we moved though it was two pigs in an embrace with "piggin hitched" under them
Now thinking about it I could question the daughters reason for doing it in that idea

[boatbuilder]

Thanks nikkai. A lot of time, patience and concentration was also required.

I suppose you just have to read into yours whatever you will. I imagine it was all done in good humour

[Suffolkboy]

Couldn't think of a better title for this topic so will make do with that.

Having posted a couple of images in the 'quiz' topic I thought I would post these images of some of the cross-stitch pictures my wife has created over the years.

Well done Mrs BB,super job and tastefully mounted and framed.

[Mel]

Your wife certainly has got patience, concentration and an eye for detail Boatbuilder, those cross-stitches certainly look very good framed. My niece done one of them from a photo of her Dad, that came out really well too.

[boatbuilder]

Thanks SB and Mel. Apart from the smallest one of Clovelly in Devon which was framed by my sister, the remainder were framed by Windsor Gallery in London Road South. It costs more to have them professionally framed than what the cross-stitch materials themselves cost. Of course you can't put a price on the time taken to do them. I suppose if you worked it out based on the hourly minimum (living?) wage they would cost hundreds.

[MEG]

Such beautiful work.Your wife did amazing work!

[MEG]

The cottage in Belle View Park.

[boatbuilder]

Thanks Meg. Did your cousin design that one herself?

[MEG]

No ,she purchased it but I don't know where she got it.She knew how much I like that cottage so she made it and sent it to me.

[boatbuilder]

Another of my wife's cross-stitches which I sit facing every day in our dining room.

[Suffolkboy]

Nice one Mrs BB.

[kerch]

Those cross stitch picture's look good when finished .My sister has done several.
I found them too fiddly prefered to do cross stitch on a larger scale made rugs instead.

[boatbuilder]

Thanks SB & kerch.

Hardly cross-stitch kerch, more like 'getting knotted" Both my wife and I have made rugs together over the years, kerch but not for a long time now. I think the biggest one we made was about 6-ft x 3-ft and seemed to take ages. We don't use them these days but they are rolled up in the attic.

Brings to mind a true story my mum told me many years ago, which I might as well re-tell whilst on the subject of rugs:

My mum had a small doormat rug (about 30" x 12") when I was a child which she had made in her younger days - probably in the 1920's or early 1930's. In the middle of the mat was a red cross like a 'plus' sign. I remember looking at the mat once and asked her why there was a slightly different background colour around the plus sign in four directions from the tips of the four legs of the plus sign (you'll understand what I'm getting at shortly). She told me that when war broke out she had to remove the four legs that came off the ends of the plus sign which were in red also, as it looked like a swastika and replace them with the main background colour, or as near as she could get to it, for obvious reasons. I don't know whatever happened to the mat in later years but I can still picture it and of course have never forgotten my mum's explanation.