Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Work In Progress Wednesday - Mary's Face

Here is my progress since my last post.  I've finished the first layer of the frame and worked on her face.   I need to get those eyes in, she looks spooky.  I was asked what the ground fabric is that I'm stitching on - white congress cloth,  24 stitches to the inch.  


I'm continuing programs on YouTube about Mary while I am stitching. There are many programs about her and Elizabeth I and the Tudors.  This is what Wikipedia says about Mary, in case you are familiar with her:


"Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart[3] or Mary I of Scotland, reigned over Scotland from 14 December 1542 to 24 July 1567.


Mary, the only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scotland, was six days old when her father died and she acceded to the throne. She spent most of her childhood in France while Scotland was ruled by regents, and in 1558, she married the Dauphin of FranceFrancis. He ascended the French throne as King Francis II in 1559, and Mary briefly became queen consort of France, until his death in December 1560. Widowed, Mary returned to Scotland, arriving in Leith on 19 August 1561. Four years later, she married her first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, but their union was unhappy. In February 1567, his residence was destroyed by an explosion, and Darnley was found murdered in the garden.


James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, was generally believed to have orchestrated Darnley's death, but he was acquitted of the charge in April 1567, and the following month he married Mary. Following an uprising against the couple, Mary was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. On 24 July 1567, she was forced to abdicate in favour of James VI, her one-year-old son by Darnley. After an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne, she fled southwards seeking the protection of her first cousin once removedQueen Elizabeth I of England. Mary had previously claimed Elizabeth's throne as her own and was considered the legitimate sovereign of England by many English Catholics, including participants in a rebellion known as the Rising of the North. Perceiving her as a threat, Elizabeth had her confined in various castles and manor houses in the interior of England. After eighteen and a half years in custody, Mary was found guilty of plotting to assassinate Elizabeth, and was subsequently beheaded."

11 comments:

NADINE said...

Such tiny stitches, such patience... but they're worth the final result, I'm sure...
THANKS also for reminding us a bit of history : very interesting, indeed !
XOXOXO
Nadine


Anonymous said...

Hi Pamela ,wow she is going to be fantastic,wow thats fine cloth you are working on,love the information thankyou,i will look forward to seeing this one grow.

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

Hello Pamela, Eyes are hard to do in needlepoint, not sure about cross stitch. Will love to see your progress. I'm working on a piece with Quaker motifs right now. Thank you so much for sharing photos of those most amazing quilts. So much inspiration! Happy Stitching!

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

You are moving right along. I would need a extra magnifier if I were working on that fabric. This will be a gorgeous piece.
xx, Carol

Sheryl said...

Good progress, this looks interesting and I love anything to do with the Tudors, I shall enjoy watching your progress ... and may join you.

Leonore Winterer said...

Great progress! You really do need to add those eyes, Mary looks a bit ghostly right about now. Though with this kind of life, I wouldn't be surprised if she was was haunting some English, Scottish or French castle!

Janie said...

Good work.
The queens of that time lived rough lives. Full of plots and suspicions and murder.
I'm happy to be where I am.

Pam said...

WOW! I looked back at your Queen Elizabeth with her jewels and embroidered sleeves, her lace and different textured clothing. WOW! Mary will be just as beautiful. Keep us posted!

Beth in IL said...

Nice! I will not start a new project. I will not start a new project.

Queeniepatch said...

Mary's eyeless face looks a bit spooky, but she will soon become the beauty she was. You are very patient to work on such fine count, how is your hand taking it?
Thanks for the history lesson!

kiwikid said...

Beautiful work Pamela, and the Eng l ish history is always interesting.