The 10th Day: SWANS

Yesterday when I posted a whitework collar with a rose, thistles and shamrocks, I mentioned I wanted to make a sampler dedicated to those motifs. Along with it I have fancied creating a castle with a lake, the lake with swans swimming.

This morning an elegant pair of needlework swans, one on top of a stiletto. We stitchers have been so clever: we have taken stilettos, now more or less anacronistic, and revived and repurposed them as laying tools.

The other swan is on top of a knife. How is a knife a needlework tool? Yesteryear's stitcher used a knife like this  the same way I use a seam ripper today.

I found these two on eBay several years ago when my mind was on swans and I think they are an elegant pair, reminders that one day I should tackle stitching theme.

A long time ago I did a tiny castle; I was learning to animate and I animated the flags. I'll see if I can find it. It is a simple little blackwork patterns.

What I have in mind is much larger, but always nice to have a starting point.

A Starting Point?

Here is my tiny blackwork castle with its

animated flags. I have a grander castle

with lakes and swans, but the other one

doesn't have animated flags.

Thank you, Carolyn!

Carolyn sent me photos of the complete

set: below closed and open.

The needlecase does have a swan, but the scissors don't. Interesting, German 1850's-1860's.