Holker Hall

You know when you're in an Aristocrat's home - they have their armorial badges literally woven into the fabric of the place! The knotted snake is a traditional Cavendish armorial device.

 

You know the saying: Familiarity breeds contempt? Well, I am afraid that Holker Hall has suffered from that syndrome in my particular case. So, when husband John suggested a visit, I thought for a bit, and then it hit me - I hadn't been round the house for aeons, and apart from the Entrance Hall (we went to a Christmas concert there pre-pandemic), couldn't remember much about the rest at all!

Holker Hall from the formal garden

So on a niceish day in October, we toddled off to refresh our memories and we were not disappointed. Holker Hall belongs to Lord Cavendish, who is a member of the extended family of the Dukes of Devonshire, who reside at Chatsworth in Derbyshire (one of the pre-eminent stately homes of England). If you saw the Keira Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice then you have seen Chatsworth, as it starred as Pemberly, the home of Mr Darcy.

Pleached tree arcade - giving structure and style at all times of the year

Dahlias - stalwarts of the autumn border, giving both colour and form

But I digress! Holker Hall is about a half hour's drive from where I live on the edge of the Lake District. The original hall dated back to Tudor times, but has been changed, added onto, and finally rebuilt in the 19th Century. In terms of architecture I do not perceive it as drop-dead- gorgeous, but it has a sort of friendly reliable Victorian solidity to it, and it has lovely gardens and some quite interesting embroideries. 

Exquisite Whitework depicting Scottish Thistles - 

There are also interesting domestic features (domestic for the upper classes, I hasten to add. I doubt my Victorian, Edwardian ancestors even set eyes on something like them.) Take for instance the rocking horse and the children's indoor see-saw. Beautifully made and in remarkable condition.

Charming rocking horse - what child could resist him?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day bed with embroidered throw, with child's indoor see-saw behind. 

It also has a wonderful library - for me, one of the most important rooms in any house, large or small (a bookcase counts as a library to me!). In Holker's library there are some particularly fine historic portraits (excellent copies of historic originals, perhaps?)

Just a small corner of the magnificent library

 There are some exquisite pieces of furniture - a Pietra dura table particularly caught my eye. These tables, usually from Italy (shipped back home whilst some young sprig was on the Grand Tour, no doubt?) are inlaid with decorative stones, and required a great deal of skill and artistry to produce an aesthetically pleasing whole.

A magnificent pietra dura table with appropriately impressive marble sculptures

 

 

The house was rebuilt in 1828 to 1841 by the Duke of Devonshire in the Jacobean revival style. Though essentially a Victorian house, nods were made to traditional features of that earlier period. So there are heraldic windows. Maybe not quite impressive as those found in some historic houses, but the picture below does illustrate the sort of thing I was talking about when I mentioned them at the beginning of 'Lady Isabel's Inheritance'. 

 

Heraldic windows. These traditionally reflected the family's aristocratic connections, and in some cases, could almost obliterate the whole window space. I believe most of these blazons are connected with the Cavendish family.

 

 

And then there are even more impressive embroideries, including crewel work in wool and silk, bargello work (florentine work), and various mixed pieces. When one considers the time and expertise lavished upon these quite extensive works, one can understand the frequent references to ladies doing their embroidery in works of the period. One can only conclude that ladies must have been extremely bored with their lot in life to afford such time and effort to produce such detailed work!

An embroidered firescreen in the library

 

A crewel work bedspread

 

 

Another bedspread worked mainly in silks with various techniques including silk shading

 

A Bargello footstool (doesn't really suit being situated next to a check pattern, does it?)

 

Could you imagine embroidering all these bed accoutrements? The result is beautiful, of course, but all that back breaking work and maybe working by candlelight!?!

 

Then there are all the interesting paintings and other fixtures and decorations which are all fascinating, but would take a whole book to do justice to them. But I will leave you with a picture of that bastion of male retreat in many historic romances - the Billiard Room!

  

The Billiard room. Note that this male retreat  though less furnished than other rooms, still is decorated to same standard as other rooms in the house. 

 

 

 I will probably add to this post at a later date, when I'm not writing. However, as that is pretty much always ongoing - don't hold your breath!

Detta x 

 

 A few more pictures!

More from the Biliiard room

 

 

A nod to Jacobean carving - nicely executed

 

A relatively modest dining room table for a Stately Home - no doubt a few more leaves could be added to increase seating numbers

Now those are what I call Tassels!

More very fine embroidery

 

I think Queen Mary (wife of George V) may have slept in this bed

 

Ornate Gates with a view of the Park beyond

Lots of topiary gives the garden structure even when there isn't much in the way of colour to catch the eye.

The last gasp of colour? - Cherry tree autumn colouring

And some impressive steps with statuary, and a Lutyens bench to finish off!

Free Cross Stitch Pattern for Financial Wizards!

Most of us know somebody who either is, or aspires to be a Financial Wizard. If you fancy doing a little cross stitch for a Christmas present, you might consider doing a variant of the free cross stitch pattern that I give to you below. I have made it in several colour ways over the years. Everyone said they liked it !?! Colours -be inspired by your stash- it's the economic and green thing to do! I worked mine mainly on 28 count even-weave material, two threads over two threads (on even-weave) (14 Count Aida is just about usable, but you may have to jiggle the back-stitch elements a bit!). Stitches involved: cross stitch and back stitch. Easy peasy! 

Buy Low - Sell High (copyright Bernadette Adams 2021)

 A slightly different version, framed (crudely) and hung (copyright Bernadette Adams 2021)

Experimenting with a theme is good!

                                                                                                                                          

Taking embroidery on Holiday

 I don't know about you, but I always take a bit of embroidery with me when I go away from home for a few days or more. Mainly it's a work in progress, which I pick up and put down over many years. I think the longest I have been stitching a particular project must be something like 25 years! Yes, I know, I should be ashamed of myself. But I have a low boredom threshold, and that is the excuse I am sticking with.

'The Chase' A Williamsburg Sampler that I have been working for 25 years or more!

Now that I have got that particular confession out of the way, I shall tell you how I choose what I am going to take with me. The first criteria is size. Now unless I'm planning on going on a world cruise (would I go on one now, with pandemics now a feature of our lives - not sure), my choice would be for something that would fit in a ring frame. It's just easier to pack and whip out, and mostly I can use a desk clamp to hold it steady. A big floor frame would take up a lot of luggage space.

A Barrel Desk Clamp. Very easy to pack, and it's fairly easy to set up on any old desk that is handy.

The next thing to consider is lighting. For those of us over forty (well over, in my case), the quality of light is crucial to how much detail you can see without giving yourself a headache. Bearing in mind that you often don't know what the lighting is going to be till you get there, I usually opt for something that is fairly large scale, with an easy pattern to follow. 

Recently I went on a long weekend to London to see my daughter and her family. I decided to take my three sheep surface embroidery. The original design was from an Inspirations magazine from many years ago. I transposed the pattern onto some spare linen, picked out some wools from my stash and got going. I'm pretty sure that I'm not following the instructions from the magazine, but that's what embroidery is for me - taking an idea and making it your own. Most of the bodies of the sheep are worked in French knots.

French Knotted Sheep

Now French Knots en masse are very handy as you don't have to be particularly fussy about placement (except at the edges). This means that you can happily motor along  putting in random knots, filling up any spaces as they appear. It makes for satisfyingly steady progress.

Sue Hawkins' Pansy Heart

Other types of stitching which I find useful to take away with me are needlepoint pieces. I particularly like Sue Hawkins' kits for this purpose. Her heart patterns always attract attention if I am working them in a public space. Prairie Schooler Santa samplers (cross stitch), worked on a bigger thread count, (e.g. 25 count over two threads) are always a satisfying project to take with you, and can be rolled out every Christmas for the admiration of your friends!

A Prairie Schooler Santa

Finally I have the sampler that I have been working on for all those years. One of these days it will get finished. Again, people always come to have a look if I am out and about working on it. Though embroidery is nowhere near as popular as it was in the 90's, people are still interested in seeing it worked. So, don't be afraid to get out your work when you have a few minutes or hours to fill. Be proud of your work! It may be just the inspiration someone needs to have a go!

These are the Instructions for 'The Chase Sampler' Kit Only 25 years + old!

If you do leave your embroideries for any length of time, remember to:

• Remove the needle from the fabric (we don't want any nasty rust marks)
• Remove from the ring frame, if you are using one
• Fold the linen carefully (use tissue paper?)
• Store in a dry place away from light (a drawer perhaps?)

Happy Stitching!

Cross stitch and metallic threads WIP

Yes, I must be mad! I'm doing a cross stitch embroidery using metallic threads in various combinations. Not only that, I am working on a dark background- sheer masochism, I hear you say.

Section of Christmas stocking (sorry the sheen doesn't really show up well!)

So why am I torturing myself this way? Well, I am trying to achieve an illuminated manuscript look to a Christmas piece I am doing, as part of a Christmas present. Last year, I managed to do two and a half Christmas stockings (one did not quite get finished in time), but that was in lockdown, and I wasn't using metallic thread much. This year I will be happy if I finish this one.

So for those who have not yet worked with metallic threads, I shall briefly outline why they are difficult to work with.

• the threads are stiffer than normal floss
• they fray
• they tangle
• they wear very easily, so lose their sheen quite quickly

Just some of my metallic thread stash (I really must get it organised!)

A few years ago, I went on a Goldwork course with Helen McCook. Now Helen is a graduate of the Royal School of Needlework, so knows what she is talking about. The main tips she gave us on working successfully with metallic threads (apart from being an amazing embroiderer) were:

• use shorter threads than you would with ordinary thread/floss
• wax your thread
• finish off the thread when it starts to wear

I have followed two of these rules religiously, and they pay off. I have to confess that I do not always wax my thread, as some of them get a bit gungy when you do.

The other point to note is that metallic threads are not really designed for intensive cross stitching. They are really threads designed for surface embroidery, and there are many techniques which work better for these types of threads, for which there are many dedicated great courses and books. (I recommend Sarah Homfray's introduction to metallics on You Tube. She covers an extensive range of embroidery techniques and is very down to earth and clear.)

Gutermann metallic thread Colour 235

I am using a variety of threads, including: Gutermann metallics, DMC Diamante, Madeira metallics, Superior threads, and various metallic flosses from my stash.

So far the Gutermann metallics give the most blingy finish, and are not so bad for fraying and wear. The downside is that there is rather a limited colour palette.

Madeira Metallic thread Art 9842 Gold-5

Another thread I quite like is the Madeira Metallic Art thread. This is a fine single thread, which I am using in groups of four in the needle. It gives a nice shiny finish and does not fray. I think I bought it as a machine embroidery thread many years ago, but hey-ho it works!

More info to follow as I progress!

Welcome

 Hello, from sunny Cumbria, England! 

Pale pink Hellebore - herald of Spring copyright Bernadette Adams 2021

Those who have visited Cumbria will know that 'sunny Cumbria' is a bit of a joke normally - we are renowned for our rain! However, the past few Springs have been remarkably dry, and the trend continues. Having said that, the weather machine is predicting rain, despite the sunshine and a blue sky! We'll see.

So having done the usual British thing - starting a conversation talking about the weather, I will now tell you a bit more about this Blog. Well, it's a personal indulgence. When you get to your late sixties and have managed not to catch Covid-19 (yet) and expire prematurely, you start thinking that maybe you should just throw caution to the wind, and put your thoughts down somewhere for posterity. Someone may read it, some may not. I hope someone finds something of interest here.

My main interests now are embroidery and gardening - so expect quite a lot of that. In the past I have enjoyed travelling, so there may be the odd essay about something or somewhere that has caught my eye, or inspired contemplation on the meaning of the Universe. My background is in science and I have studied various subjects in depth, including the Royal Artillery in World War 1, Scottish History of the seventeenth century, and investing on the stock market. So you can see that my interests are randomly eclectic.
Basically, if I think something is worth writing about, I will put it down here.

I am a firm believer in the maxim "I may not agree with everything you say, but I will defend to the death(?) your right to say it". I hope you find what I say interesting, but I do not expect everyone to agree with everything I say. Please be polite when you express any arguments. In my opinion, good manners are the badge of civilization! 

Have a lovely day!

Detta