Embroidered apron of magic

Last year, round about May-time, I embroidered myself a cross-over linen apron with a raven and a hare and an otter (I was on furlough from the day job!) My friend Karin, of Celestine and the Hare, rather admired it, so we tentatively agreed on a swap of 'made things'. I found another linen apron, I redrew the animals and transferred them on, I transferred Karin's lovely new logo, and then somehow, last July, the basket containing threads and my hoop and the fabric got covered up.

It didn't actually go away. We've been knocking it off the stool it's been balanced on as we walk past ever since. And then, a couple of weeks ago, the urge to embroider came upon me! The marking's hadn't faded much so I whipped through in next to no time. The raven was mostly stitched listening to a fascinating (and, in hindsight, oddly appropriate) lecture on Anglo-Saxon swords of renown. The golden hare was stitched as summer suddenly became hot.

Then it was washed (I don't like making non-washable things), pressed, and posted.

And here is the finished thing, in its final home, surrounded by all the creatures who inspired it. 

I thought the pockets would prove popular. 

I'm sure choklit wrappers have already been concealed in this pocket. 

I wasn't actually thinking of Kit Williams' Golden Hare when I was stitching this beautiful creature, or even the Watership Down movie's story within a story of El-ahrairah, but they may have been in the back of my mind.

The lovely logo, of course, contains a hare and leaves and life inside the moon. (It's a new moon tonight).

And the raven. Corvids, with their fierce intelligence, cheeky humour and mythic baggage, are magical creatures all by themselves. 

I create these designs by drawing an outline first, either on paper or directly on to the fabric. (You can actually buy a pencil that will allow you to make iron-on transfers yourself.) I have a collection of threads of various types and thicknesses, some bought, some found, some parts of long extinct kits, and then I just let the needle draw feathers, spirals, leaves, flowers, waves...

I see more embroidery in my future. I may even have to buy more thread. Actually, I ought to spin my own embroidery thread, and dye it too.