The Abbey Embroidery Pattern
/Hi folks,
So I have a new embroidery pattern to introduce today and I am really delighted with this one. It began because we took a long weekend in Whitby. Have you ever been there? You should....it really is an absolutely lovely place.
Whitby, Yorkshire
Situated on the east coast of England, it is an old Yorkshire seaside town bursting at the seams with charm. High cliffs and a sandy beach straddle the entrance to the harbour and up on the headlands sits the ruined and wildly romantic Whibty Abbey. The little town is steeped in maritime history (Captain Cook was an apprentice in the town and the house where he lodged is now a wonderful museum about his life and 2 of his ships, 'Resolution' and 'Endeavour' were built in the harbour) and literary history (Bram Stocker used the town as inspiration for his famous gothic novel 'Dracula') as well as being the home of the famous black whitby jet jewellery and fabulous fish restaurants. The wonderful North Yorks Moors steam railway ends here and the town is buzzing with Steam punks dressed in splendid Victorian and Edwardian costumes perusing the vintage and antique stores in the town. It is a colourful and charming place and we loved it. I took this photo of the abbey while we were there.
The Abbey ruins, Whitby
The Abbey dates to the 13th century and is a magnificent example of English gothic architecture. When I looked at the photo, I was instantly inspired to try to make an embroidery design using it and have loved every minute of putting this one together.
My storyboard
Once I had my abbey design, I wanted to add a bright modern splash of floral embroidery to compliment it and I think it worked out just fine. I used very traditional embroidery motifs to create the effect, but the colours and the combination of the sort of 'line drawing' of the Abbey make for a modern and fresh finished piece. Adding teeny tiny buttons on too sort of emphasises the handmade effect of such a pretty piece and are always a favourite of mine.
I think this would make a fabulous wedding sampler if you added the names and date to it and although it looks pretty displayed in the hoop, I decided to take it a step further.
The Abbey embroidered cushion
Making it into a bright tasselled cushion makes it a versatile gift for anyone ... although actually, this isn't going anywhere!!
The pattern is available now in my Etsy shop as a downloadable pdf and kits and printed patterns will be coming soon.
Happy weekend everyone x