Files for Fran Oakley's Tree of Life
As part of Seminar 2013, Branching Out, Elizabeth Bonnett digitized Fran Oakley's Jacobean Tree of Life pattern that was created many years before.
Sandra Toyne added the flowers for our three territories, and several WEG members stitched samples to display at Seminar, when it was made available to EAC members.
If you didn’t take a photo of the Tree of Life pieces that were on display at Seminar, and you need to refresh your memory as to the colours and stitches used, here are some images to help you.
Click on each picture to open it as a larger size.
(Unfortunately, we don’t have close-ups of all of them, and some images are a bit blurry or slightly yellow/red due to the lighting. The picture of the group [below] is closest to true colour (As are the pics of the Revised version): they were stitched on natural/beige/grey fabric, not white.)
Click on each picture to open it as a larger size.
(Unfortunately, we don’t have close-ups of all of them, and some images are a bit blurry or slightly yellow/red due to the lighting. The picture of the group [below] is closest to true colour (As are the pics of the Revised version): they were stitched on natural/beige/grey fabric, not white.)
Four WEG members opted to stitch the Tree of Life to display at Seminar.
They chose materials: wool. cotton, or silk threads and wool or linen fabric.
From Left: Original design modified and reversed (wool) stitched by Karin Kozak; Revised design (silk) ,which includes the territorial flowers, stitched by Sandra Toyne; Original, reversed, stitched by Anne Wallbridge; Original Design (wool) stitched by Anne and her mother.
Close ups of the Tree on the right, stitched in wool by Anne and her mother.
The Tree second from left, stitched in silk by Sandra.
Post Seminar:
We had invited seminar attendees send photos of their completed trees, and two EAC members did just that: here are their pieces.
This piece is Anne Jarvis's version ... she placed it as the centre panel in a quilt.
Anne chose to embroider the provincial flowers because of her love of embroidery, flowers and the Canadian countryside. It represents Canadian unity and beauty, from coast to coast.
"I have used Fran Oakley's Tree of Life design on a quilt square to be incorporated into a quilt commemorating Canada's 150th anniversary here in Ancaster, Ontario. I used embroidery floss."
From Pearl Sceviour, from Ontario, who recreated it as an appliquéd quilt.
"I'd had to put some thinking into this before contacting you as I wasn't even sure how to approach it, but a few days of staring do wonders!
"I'd had to put some thinking into this before contacting you as I wasn't even sure how to approach it, but a few days of staring do wonders!
My first decision (was) to decide if I need to scale it up for turned edge - hand appliqué but I think, if I do, it might be a maximum of 25%. I've worked with a lot of very small pieces before. A bit more staring required there. I expect there may be some embroidery of stems as 1/8" is about as small a bias stem as can be expected.
As well as a picture of the quilt, she provided comments on the project ...
Her thoughts during the design phase:
"Thank you and the WEG for the use of the pattern. There were times when my fingers were asking why are you doing this. I don't normally use a lot of batik fabrics as needling through 6+ layers is tough going."
It's hand appliquéd using Cantik Batiks (Canadian line of fabrics) to the same scale as the original embroidery pattern. While not visible, the background is quilted with 13 maple leaves."
(Note: the background fabric is black, which is difficult to photograph.)
... and after the quilt was completed:
"I did try to be as accurate as possible however I can't achieve the lovely detail of embroidery. That being said I do love the finished product all the same."
"I did try to be as accurate as possible however I can't achieve the lovely detail of embroidery. That being said I do love the finished product all the same."
(Note: to follow the relationship of these images, simply look for the strawberries: top left image connects with the strawberries in top right corner of the bottom image,; the strawberries in top right photo fit onto the bottom photo's strawberries, showing that the fireweed would be to the right.