Questions About A Wall

So, having once decided to redo the walls, I had to actually do it!

I’m rediscovering the quiet process I found with William Marshall, sitting down at my frame of a morning, working until the sun comes around and casts shadows across the work, or until I find myself losing focus, whichever comes the sooner. You may recall that I was surprised to find myself so enamoured of a technique that involves only a single stitch!

This time, however, that single stitch is very much part of the conception of the project, and I have learned that I can delight in the subtleties of something that once would have bored or frustrated me. I am pleased to find I’m still enjoying it, and in spite of the unusual level of pre-designing I’ve done (and I’ve yet to really get started on Rahere and Lady Julian!), there are still details and ideas to work out.

I’m keeping to the close tones I chose, using two of the three possible blends, and two solid colours. I think that is working well to represent the assorted colours in Cheshire sandstone, while being pale and pulled back, not dominating Aethelflaed but allowing her to dominate instead.

I have been quietly, methodically, choosing a silk, stitching my square spirals, stitch by stitch and block by block, thinking only to raise the remnants of the Roman Walls so that Aethelflaed can restore them.

And then, last week, I was blamelessly stitching my blocks, when I looked at my design with a new eye, and suddenly I have a thought to think through.

Notionally, for me, Aethelflaed in this design is outside the walls, touring the building site, as it were. That’s one of the reasons that I made the wall more than head-high on the rider. However, last week it suddenly seemed to me that visually, that high wall was blocking Aethelflaed’s view, and I’m not sure I want that.

Fortunately, I have all the rest of the silk embroidery, including the borders (still not entirely designed!) before I need to be certain of my decision.