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Meet Fergus. Not a handsome chap. Pretty shifty looking actually. A bit morning-after-the-night-before-ish. When I first met him in Nancy Spies' Here be Drolleries, I thought him rather cute. When I found him in his own home, I was slightly surprised by the company he kept in 1487. If you are of a timorous nature, don't click!! Although the bagpipe-playing pig is fun, the jester might be a bit much for a Sunday.

My Embroiderers' Guild branch is hosting Scottish Regional Day in April, and we are asking everyone to make a "mugshot" so we can put together a Mugshot Mosaic. Fergus, here, will fit the bill. My plan is to outline him and probably add bits as I go along. So I already suspect his hat brim is going to be made of a fuzzy purple thread. Turns out what I thought was a dog-hat is, in fact, more a dragon-hat. I have pretty much decided that he's going to have a grey beard and hair and something like a red nose... In the manuscript, he's actually looking over his shoulder whilst running away, clad only in his hat and one shoe. I leave you to interpret that as you will.

WOW that sounds like a lot of fun ahead as you get Fergus in the right environment. Looking forward to the next update.

Well, if nothing else Fergus is indeed a character (but I agree about the company he keeps - I'm glad I clicked on it on a Monday... )
Your thread and colour choices sound interesting, Serinde, I look forward to seeing him develop! When you mentiones Mugshots I rather thought they were meant to be self-portraits, but obviously not

He looks like a lively character! What fun!!

Mabel Figworthy wrote: Mon Mar 02, 2020 10:08 am When you mentiones Mugshots I rather thought they were meant to be self-portraits, but obviously not

You know, Mabel, that thought never, ever, crossed my mind! Oh, dear. Well, too late for all that now. Fergus it is.

I'm stitching him on a piece of parchment-coloured cotton -- the sort I'd normally use to back something else. I don't think I'll need another piece of muslin or something underneath, as I'm not using any heavy threads. Anyway, he'll be mounted on a 15x15cm (6in x 6) canvas frame from Ikea, so that'll be sturdy enough.

That is so clever and looks like fun to stitch! I can't wait to see your updates! Hope we get a fair amount to enjoy!

Carole

Serinde wrote: Mon Mar 02, 2020 12:43 pmhe'll be mounted on a 15x15cm (6in x 6) canvas frame from Ikea

I've seen that sort of finish but am never quite sure how it's done - how do you attach the stitching to the canvas, do you fold it round and staple/glue/otherwise attach it to the wooden frame, or stitch it to the canvas?

You fold it around the edges, trying to make a neat mitred corner, and staple it. They will all be mounted onto something else (large), as was done last year for the Viking /Celtic things I did for the 2019 Regional Day. Hope we get lots in, too...

I may try that canvas finish for my two trees of life

It's a possibility. You could always lace them onto the stretched canvas, too. I can't track down exactly the one I have, but any art store stocks them. Might have been Hobbycraft -- £3.

Well, we are holding our breath wondering if there will be a Regional Day this year... so far, it hasn't been cancelled, but the end of April is a whole nuther ballgame. So poor Fergus is languishing. Not to mention that I suspect he'll need a bit of muslin or something. I never realised how thin this cotton was until I started a doodle cloth...! live and learn.

Fergus will have to grin and bear it like the rest of us, I'm afraid - there will be better times!

And here I thought he was running away from his rolling-pin wielding wife... perhaps it was Covid-19? (He really should have put his trews on...)

I did click
A fun project ahead Looking forward to the update...

I did warn you. Those medievals... weren't victorians, if you see what I mean.

Well, this morning I had a terrific idea: I'll go online to Higgs & Higgs to see if they have any of that lovely linen-look cotton which is delicious to stitch on -- and bought a fat quarter of white (but baulked at a metre of cream) along with a bit of red gingham (thought I might try some chicken scratch, since suddenly my diary is empty). Talk about service -- it's already being shipped, so I would expect it tomorrow or Saturday. Companies are pretty desperate for orders, I guess.

I love the H&H linen-look cotton, but they don't do my favourite Ivory anymore
Good service though!

It was the ivory I was most interested in, but, as you say, not in stock now.

It sounds like Fergus will be created pretty soon... exciting.

Well, we'll see.

I'm being tempted by an online course courtesy of Tanya Bentham of Opus Anglicanum. Actually she's proposing two courses, one of laid and couched work (angels) for beginners/intermediates and one of opus anglicanum for more experienced stitchers of an angel with dog and cat. It's an excellent way to fill up what's likely to be a long hiatus with my stitching and weaving groups, and I love her designs from original sources.

How to decide??

Some rather surprising content on that website...….