U is for Unicorn

You might be asking yourself, When did we ever embroider unicorns here on Needle ‘n Thread?

Well, technically, we never did. Not that I have anything at all against embroidered unicorns. But I’ve never embroidered one myself.

I have, however, created a series of small projects that are an appreciative nod to some of my favorite works of textile art from the Middle Ages – the Lady & the Unicorn tapestries of Cluny.

And so, with a little bit of a stretch as we continue the ABC Archives series, I’m going to say that U is for Unicorn.

Way back in 2018, I designed a set of “tapestry smalls” worked on silk gauze – a very fine, light even-weave mesh that mimics needlepoint mono canvas but is much, much finer – and called them “A Thousand Flowers.” The original set of charts – which you can find here as a downloadable PDF – includes a dog, a cat, a bunny, and squirrels.

I love working small things, and these were no exception. They’re stitched with beautiful silk threads, and the resulting little miniatures can be finished in a variety of ways.

The deer (above) – which is a supplemental chart – I mounted in a pocket watch setting, using a Tom Holtz Idea-ology frame that I found at a craft store (I don’t think this particular one is made anymore).

This piece hangs in my cubbies at the studio. It is a huge conversation maker when people step close to see what it is.

I mounted the dog in a bevel tray with a brooch pin on the back – you know, for the medieval-tapestry-dog-loving person in your life!

The double squirrels, I finished into an ornament, and then I realized it would also make a great scissor fob.

There’s also a cat and a bunny version, which were finished in similar ways. They all went forth into the world as gifts.

In addition to the PDF downloads for these projects, we produced kits for them at the time, too. We still put together kits occasionally, so if you are interested and you want advanced notice of them, just drop me a line and let me know! We’ll notify you once we have them in stock again.

And that, my friends, is my roundabout U for the ABC Archives series. If you’d like to explore the rest of the articles in this series, you’ll find the ABC Archives Index here.

Hope you’re having a Wonderful Wednesday!