A woman I never knew, but whose presence has always been strongly felt in my life. Growing up, I was surrounded by her bright colorful works of crewel embroidery that adorned walls and pillows and just about everything in our house.
She lived in the house before I ever did, and so her work that was there, never left, along with her folders and folders of drawings and patterns. I'd like to share just a few of my favorite renderings of her animals. Really, these are just small details in a sea of designs, but have so much character nonetheless.
the brown lamb
the tic tac toe turtle
and my favorite, the sleepy donkey
She made a living selling her work in local shops, at the Women's Industrial Union in Boston, and doing special commissions for private clients. As a lover of animal rendering myself, I like to pull out her drawings sometimes, and see how she would choose to draw an lamb, or a bunny or a squirrel or a big giant tree of life.
Her finished work is really what is impressive, with her precise needlework and eye for color, but I am short of photos since I only possess one of her finished pillows. I would like to share more as I collect photos from scattered relatives houses. Until then, I have her drawings and ideas for finished pieces, which I like to imagine are still out there, hiding in corners of all the old houses of New England.
