Cross Stitcher Correspondents

Ever wondered what stitchers like us are up to in different parts of the globe? We’ve asked readers from near and far to become correspondents for us and share with us their cross stitch news…

Patricia Veazey, Barcelona, Spain

Hi fellow stitchers, this warm spring afternoon I am overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the mild weather will come the celebrations, often in the evening and in the open air – that’s why one can never have too many shawls.

Some lucky girls own Manila shawls, these embroidered masterpieces have a pretty long story dated back in Canton, China, in the 17th century. By that time the Manila Galleon or Nao China, one of the Spanish Treasure Fleet ships, carried among other exotic goods, colourful embroidered silk squares, originally for home decoration. The yearly arrival to the port of Acapulco of this ship was enjoyed by the rich ladies of New Spain who used to have their own ‘fashion week’ as the trunks carrying these treasures used to stop in current Mexico City on their way to Spain via the port of Veracruz.

Through the years, the skills of this craft has been taught by the master embroiderers and fringe knitters to their heiresses for centuries.

While searching for information, I called Mrs. Angeles Espinar, the great shawls master embroiderer, knighted Fine Arts Gold Medal in 2007 by the king of Spain. Her daughter Maria José, now in charge of the atelier, kindly answered my questions.

Manila shawls sometimes have an enchantment; when the finished piece has a perfect harmony of size, design, colour and fringe. An enchanted shawl can reach prices up to 6000 euros; usually they end up in the hands of collectors or flamenco dancers. Up to date, the authentic Manila shawls are completely handmade, they come in sizes from 1 to 1.60 metres per side plus the fringes, the use of both silk fabric and threads make necessary the use of wood scrolling frames. It can take up to six to eight months for a full-time crafter to finish a masterpiece before passing it to the fringe knitter with exact instructions. There are very few shawl makers left and the future of this craft is not actually bright. Pity, because nothing compares to the caress of the silk and the whisper of the fringes of a Manila shawl on a summer night. The Espinar shawl collection & Embroiderers’ guilds have passed on the knowledge of how to make the shawls Patricia is a professional accountant who was born in Mexico and moved to Barcelona 34 years ago.

Rebecca Rogers, Hull, UK

Hello from England! I am relatively new to the world of stitching, having only recently discovered my love of it through my Textiles project for school.

I decided, for my final project in Textiles to hand embroider the face of the doll I made. Although the doll I designed took around 50 hours to complete, I think it was worth it… as my idea was to make a time-travelling doll! Her outfits were from the Regency period, the Victorian era and finally the 1950s as these eras were some of the most inspirational in fashion. Also this month I have completed my Bothy

threads Cut Thru Gypsy Wagon, something that has taken me six months to complete – so I was very pleased as it was my first big piece. I took it to the framers a week ago, and now it is back, proudly displayed on my living room wall.

This month is very important for me as I’ll be taking my exams, but stitching is an excellent way to unwind during this stressful time. None of my friends do cross stitching – they all think I’m a bit mad. I have some friends from my Textiles class that are very kind as well as very creative… I’m hoping to convert them to cross stitch! My ‘historical’ doll The results of six months of stitching! Our youngest correspondent, at just 16 years, Rebecca loves textiles and history, and is studying for her GCSEs.

Charlotte McFall, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK

I can’t wait for my Celtic Cross stitch kit to arrive! I love historical designs. The Celts inhabited Britain in 750 BC until 12 BC. They were known to have colourful patterns such as ones seen in the Folio the Book of Kells Illustration Gospel of John. Celtic Cross Stitch aims to reproduce these wonderful designs with sometimes a modern-day twist. This picture stitched by my friend Lisa is called Celtic Birds or to give it its Welsh name; Adar Celtaidd. Rich deep colours are normal for Celtic patterns as are geometrical shapes. There are many Celtic Cross patterns such as this one from Design Works with an Irish Blessing attached.

The Celtic Cross Stitch Patterns come in many forms from simple to intricate knots, spirals, animals and interlacing patterns. There are even alphabets, I am so glad that this style of cross stitch is keeping these historic patterns alive, when they may otherwise have been lost to the mists of time. What kit can’t you wait to receive? Folio book of Kells Picture Celtic Birds by my friend Lisa Payne

(page 48) Charlotte writes romance as Misty Shaw for My Weekly Pocket Novels and Mills and Boon. She was the winner of the Carina Mills and Boon Christmas in July Competition.

Alesya Tyshkevich, Moscow, Russia

Summertime is all about travelling. Usually we take pictures and buy souvenirs, when we visit foreign countries or places we have never been before. These things remind us about exciting adventures, romantic holidays or entertaining sightseeing tours. And what about cross stitching?

I am sure most of us stitchers take our projects with us. And it may be a peculiar fact, but it’s true – embroideries remind us about our trips even better than photos and videos. As for me, I have a few stitched designs with really interesting pasts.

‘The Wolf’s Damily’ by Iskusnitsa is not only a significant embroidery for my family, but also a project I started on holidays in Belorussia, stitched during

the WWII reenactment in Estonia and added some final touches on the cruise ship heading to Finland. So, my wolves saw four different countries in two months!

Last august I finished one marvellous project – a peacock by RIOLIS. As I have a baby, I am not up to travelling, but my bird does! The Peacock presented our common creativity in different exhibitions – in Moscow, in Samara and even in New York! This is really unbelievable – my embroidery visited the USA and I didn’t.

Also I can show you a ‘one-day-trip’ project: this hare was stitched on my way back home from Tallinn. And still, there is one design I can’t finish yet. It is small and easy, but... I started stitching Totoro in Saint Petersburg and maybe I’ll finish it there as well when I visit this beautiful city next time. Who knows? ‘The Wolf’s Family’ by Iskusnitsa RIOLIS ‘Bird of Luck’ art-therapy series The hare by Klart and Totoro in progress (designed by a friend) Alesya is 27 years old, married and has just had a baby daughter. She works in a school and has been stitching for four years. Find her Youtube channel at www.youtube.com/ricamatrice and instagram account at www.instagram. com/alesya.ricamatrice.

Giordana Grossi, Parma, Italy

Ciao from Italy!

Working as a bus driver I meet many people and I see many different places during the day. I love my job, but when I come back home I need to relax myself. My favourite hobbies are sewing and, of course, cross stitching. I like to create handmade gifts for my friends with these techniques. To find new ideas or inspiration I like to go to craft fairs. The one I prefer is called ‘Fili senza tempo’ (Timeless Threads) in Formigine, near Modena, in the north of Italy. This fair takes place in a beautiful medieval castle twice a year, usually in March and September. If at the autumn one you can look forward to Christmas and gingerbreads, Santa Claus and reindeers everywhere, in the spring one Easter is round the corner and it’s all an explosion of flowers, pastel colours, bunnies and eggs.

At the fair there are many stands from Italy and France also and you can find a lot of threads, patterns, buttons, ribbons, all kid of fabrics and all you need for your passion. It’s a real paradise for every stitcher and you can’t go home empty handed! After a productive day of shopping, all you have to do is think about how to use all these wonders! Until the next fair… Castle of Formigine The stand of Serenità di Campagna Giordana is a 39-year-old bus driver, and lives with her husband and her cat Murphy. She learned to stitch from her mother when she was a little girl.