So thanks to perhaps my Southern roots, or just my lovely mom, I learned to cross stitch when I was roughly 8 years old. I was amazed at it's intricacies but how simply it was to do. The earliest record of Cross Stitch in the US dates back to 1653 and is housed at Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth Massachusetts. The below sampler is by Ann Grimshaw, a Quaker living in Yorkshire NY in 1818. She was a mere 13 yrs old when she created this sampler (which now hangs in the Philadelphia Museum of Art):
Traditional Palestinian wedding shawls
check out http://saltyoat.blogspot.com/ for great samples of handicraft and cross stitch.
Cross stitch always made me think of the stuffy propriety of old parlor rooms with women sitting around gossiping while embroidering intricate, delicate pillows and baby clothes. I was surprise to see in person the colorful work of "ethnic minority" of Vietnam and Thailand. It is so much more free spirited and an expression of these extraordinary tribal people. It is a famous tradition in Sapa, Vietnam (which is a stunning place), where the local weekly market attracts the best samples of the various villages. The women bring their embroidered blankets and clothes to the market where they will hopefully sell to passing tourists. They mostly use indigo dyed cotton as there base fabric and also add block printing intermittently within the cross stitch design. I spent a small fortune while I was there, but have no regrets and still find them inspiring years later.
Cross stitch always made me think of the stuffy propriety of old parlor rooms with women sitting around gossiping while embroidering intricate, delicate pillows and baby clothes. I was surprise to see in person the colorful work of "ethnic minority" of Vietnam and Thailand. It is so much more free spirited and an expression of these extraordinary tribal people. It is a famous tradition in Sapa, Vietnam (which is a stunning place), where the local weekly market attracts the best samples of the various villages. The women bring their embroidered blankets and clothes to the market where they will hopefully sell to passing tourists. They mostly use indigo dyed cotton as there base fabric and also add block printing intermittently within the cross stitch design. I spent a small fortune while I was there, but have no regrets and still find them inspiring years later.
