My Embroiderers Guild are stitching a panel all about Skipton (where we are based) so there are embroideries of the main  buildings, some to represent areas, all surrounded by a square representing the home town of each member.

I volunteered to do a square to represent the Cenotaph. I must admit I volunteered to do this one as I knew I already had a poppy embroidery which I could adapt. It’s silk ribbon and beads with a french knots and a few squiggles embroidered. It was fairly quick to add ‘Lest We Forget’ along the bottom to make it represent the Cenotaph.

I was born in Pudsey in West Yorkshire, when I was little it was known for it’s treacle mines and backward flying ducks, neither of which I thought would be recognisable as an embroidery!

These days everyone knows Pudsey Bear, he is the mascot of the annual Children in Need appeal, a huge BBC fundraiser that raises millions each year, Pudsey was designed by a lady and named after her home town. He would be easily recognisable as Pudsey.

I sketch his outline and coloured him in with Inktense pencils which I then wet to make more watercolour-ish. I stitched round using a simple back stitch. The spots on his bandage are french knots and his eyes and buttons are satin stitch.

I ironed on some pelmet vilene behind and blanket-stitched round.

Two embroideries completed in a couple of evenings 🙂

By the way, if anyone is wondering, the treacle mines refer to a treasure hunt organised by the local vicar many many years ago. The end of the hunt was at the entrance to a disused railway tunnel where he served treacle sandwiches, telling the children a tale about it being the head of the treacle mines….and so it went down in history!