35" x 45"
The story of "Interlude"
Interlude is a canvas that found me, as many of them do. First they send me a silent message to go looking for inspiration. I find myself in a needlepoint shop and a canvas whispers "look over here. I'm over here". Such was the story of Interlude.
My daughter Debbie and I were spending her school break in Florida, enjoying the warm sun beside the pool when a friend delivered the message. It went something like this: 'I've just heard about a needlepoint shop that you'll be interested in. It's in someone's apartment, not far from here'. My guess is that I probably rushed over there the same day.
When I saw the canvas I knew that I wouldn't leave it in the shop. But I had a major stumbling block. The canvas that I had recently purchased in Paris (Trois Oiseaux) was barely started and I had many years of work ahead of me to complete it. Debbie made the decision for me and I bought the canvas. Although I was having an anxiety attack as I selected thread colors, I wasn't about to be deterred.
This may have been the start of my canvas collecting. I soon realized that it's a bonus to find a great canvas without having to go on a major search. The few times that I have shopped for a particular canvas, it's been very discouraging. Some stitchers wouldn't think about starting a new piece until they finish their current project. That isn't my style. All of my pieces surround me in various stages of completion, each project teaching me techniques that I use on the other pieces as well.
It took thirty years for me to finally complete 'Interlude'!
At one point, I did contemplate removing the peach background and changing the color. Another time, I regretted that I hadn't stitched the faces more realistically as I am now able to do. There were many times that I thought about hiding the piece and forgetting about it because it was so much work. I wanted to do many pieces and this one was taking so much time!
What fun it could have been to use stitches other than basketweave for the clothing. Thirty years ago, my idea of texture had been to use DMC floss on the foreground and Persian wool for the background. I wasn't aware of dye lots and I didn't know that baskeweave has a direction based on the weave of the canvas threads. I also didn't know that it's necessary to stretch a canvas onto a working frame to achieve the best finished result.
Ignorance may have been bliss.
I did finish the piece in my own way and in my own time. It will always remind me of my evolution in stitching. It will also remind me that although there are many new fabulous fibers and it's very trendy to use interpretive stitches, this piece is unique because of it's simplicity. Interlude has a wonderful serenity of appearance. It has a tranquil mood, almost a meditative interlude in a busy day. It speaks to me of the importance of simplicity: Wool and cotton, one basic stitch creating harmony. With all of my current skills, I could not have done it better, only differently.
>Click within the stitchings to see the detail images: