You have probably seen this beautiful weed growing along roadsides….it blooms in mid summer and continues into the fall. It is called Queen Anne’s lace because of its lacey pattern of blooms.
“Queen Anne’s lace is said to have been named after Queen Anne of England, who was an expert lace maker. Legend has it that when pricked with a needle, a single drop of blood fell from her finger onto the lace, leaving the dark purple floret found in the flower’s center.
The name wild carrot derived from the plant’s past history of use as a substitute for carrots. The fruit of this plant is spiky and curls inward, reminiscent of a bird’s nest, which is another of its common names.” ~ gardeningknowhow.com
The structure of this plant is stunning…
…at all stages…
from all directions…
This image is the inspiration for one of the embroidery patterns!
…and this is the inspiration for the second embroidery pattern.
Queen Anne’s lace looks beautiful in an arrangement…especially with a pop of hand made lace.
Place it in a candleholder or pair it with vintage finds like an old coffee pot…
… or metal measuring cups
Next time you see it blooming beside the road…stop and snip a few stems!
Cut two 12” square pieces of linen. One for each design. Use a heat sensitive erasable pen to draw the pattern on the linen.
Trace the pattern using a lightbox. If you don’t have a light box you can tape your pattern to a window or use your computer or ipad as a light box.
There are only two embroidery stitches used to make these designs. The Stem Stitch (aka The Outline Stitch) and the French Knot. You can will find good “how tos” for both of these stitches here and here.
Fill in the solid areas with a cluster of ecru french knots.
Create a small center cluster of knots with brown.
Use the stem stitch to create the brown plant stems. Tie a bow at the center of each stem with taupe thread.
When you are finished stitching the design, lay the embroidery face down on a soft cloth (a terry washcloth works great!) and lightly press the back of the linen to erase any pen lines left on the pattern.
Choose a frame to display your embroidery. I found this one at IKEA.
Center the design on piece of cardboard that is the same size as your frame. Wrap the extra fabric around the back of the cardboard and secure with double stick tape.
Hang on your wall, set on a side table, or give as a gift!
