The inspiration for The Prince’s Thistle came from a silver canteen once owned by Bonnie Prince Charlie.

The piece is done in crewel wool and synthetic silver thread on linen twill using traditional crewel stitches to create texture contrast.

The original design for the piece was similar to what was completed, but the development of the finished piece was a complicated, and sometimes frustrating, process. I worked through at least three variations of the lattice work before landing on one I liked; an open, light texture.

The lower purple part of the flowers was equally difficult. The first two stitches I tried simply didn’t work with the green body; they were too similar in texture to the green area. I wanted a stitch that was less smooth.

The turkey work at the top is the highlight of the piece – the texture is playful and warm.