Weddings are back for 2022 and love is in the air! We are thrilled to unveil our new wedding tapestry, Apple Tree Wedding, which joins Love Birds and Congratulations as a beautiful design to stitch for a romantic occasion.
With our Apple Tree Wedding tapestry we’ve referenced old samplers for a timeless and traditional look but with a modern twist, just as you would expect. We have a happy couple in the centre with apple trees, a cosy home, flowers, birds, a cat on a swing and a dog – not just any dog but a black Labrador, as has been requested many times by stitchers.
Obviously you can change the dog to a Jack Russell if necessary…
Personalising your design Apple Tree Wedding is worked mainly on a colour printed canvas, but there are two blank panels. The top one is there for you to stitch the names of your couple (or a message), and in the panel below you can add their special date, or other text.
How do I do this? It’s easy! We’ve designed detailed charts to help you work out your panels. The charts are a doddle to follow, and we also include tips and advice about spacing your letters and choosing colours etc. The thing is to be brave and get stuck in. You will amaze yourself once you’ve spaced out your letters and dates, ready for stitching.
Behind the scenes It’s interesting to see how a design has evolved, so here’s a snapshot of some of the early stages of Apple Tree Wedding and a page from my sketchbook.
As with many of our designs, I start off full of optimism and think I’m getting on well with it then a niggling doubt sets in so I put the design aside for a while and work on something else. Over the years I have amassed a collection of half-finished designs and I’m on a mission to revisit those that I haven’t completely forgotten about or abandoned.
Right at the beginning when I started work on Apple Tree Wedding I set it out with a central apple tree and the bride and groom on either side, and a dog – a brown dog at this stage. All good, but something wasn’t quite right…what could it be? I stopped working on the design so I could go away and ponder.
Months later I returned to my graph paper and it dawned on me that what was wrong was the positioning of a few elements, namely the bride and groom, and the apple tree…oh, and the house behind them. Pretty much everything!
After that it was a case of starting over again and fine tuning as I went. I’m so pleased with how it’s turned out, and hope you like it too. The colouring is quite different to that of Love Birds or Congratulations, Tree of Life, or any our hearts themed tapestries that can be stitched for weddings. It’s nice to be able to offer you something completely different, and if you’ve stitched some of our other wedding designs this will make a nice change.
Canvas gauge On a slight technical note, Apple Tree Wedding is stitched on 10 holes per inch double thread canvas, which is our canvas of choice for most of our cushion sized designs (Apple Tree Wedding is 14″ wide x 13″ high).
If you’re stitching to a tight deadline Apple Tree Wedding will grow more quickly than Love Birds which while equally gorgeous and a similar size, is printed on 12 holes per inch canvas.
The maths bit 10 holes per inch = 10×10 stitches per inch, 12hpi = 12×12, 144 stitches per inch.
For many couples the last few years have been really tough and their original wedding plans may have been abandoned more than once as they came up against the various and ever-changing Covid restrictions. A handmade cushion to commemorate their big day now that it is finally taking place will make it even more special.
We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please do come and join in any Apple Tree Wedding chat on Jolly Red’s Facebook page, and on Instagram, or send us a message or even call us!
Happy stitching – and happy planning if you are organising a family wedding now or in the near future.
Kelly x
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