A Guest at Sisters of Stitch today...

Today, Bob and his wife Beryl, came to visit us at Sisters of Stitch. They had been invited by a member who thought that we would all like to see a tapestry that Bob had stitched. Now apparently Bob had been a keen woodworker all his life but a while ago he and Beryl moved into a retirement village. Bob was forced to leave all his tools etc and he soon became bored. Beryl showed him how to crochet but he soon became bored with that...not enough of a challenge. So he learned how to stitch tapestries...and he completed a number of kits successfully. But...you guessed it, he soon became bored! So he started making stitching charts from photos and stitched those scenes. And that's how the item that Bob brought in to show us, started.

Bob explained that the tapestry is from a photo of his childhood to adulthood church, Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire. He had drawn up quite a few stitching charts from the photo but he became increasingly frustrated by the lack of perspective that is sometimes obvious in tapestries. He decided to throw away his charts and just stitch on the Aida cloth following just straight from the photo. Absolutely amazing and now I must show you  closer up photos of this magnificent piece.

Bob described the ribbon draped over the frame as a 'scarf which he was given for the cold weather'

Yes, Bob had entered his work in The Show and he had won first prize!!! The stitchery took Bob 16 months to complete. Now how about a closer look...

Look at that perspective...the play of dark and light! (That's Beryl, Bob's wife on the right)

Now Bob has already started work on his entry in next year's show...he showed us the photo from which he is working...

Many of the ladies had questions for Bob...one was 'How young are you Bob?' He proudly told us that he has just turned 90. What an amazing, witty and clever man! Bob told us that he gets so engrossed in his stitching that Beryl sometimes has to tell him to put it away and go to bed! lol