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Introduction to Floriography

     Anne      4 Comments

Introduction to floriography

Floriography is the study of the wonderful Language of Flowers. A quick look at my blog will tell you right away that I love flowers. They are probably my number one source of inspiration and I never tire of them. And if you follow me on Instagram (@northernbelle.atelier), you might have noticed that I like to share flower inspiration and meanings in my stories.

 

Although I’ve always loved flowers, I haven’t always been interested in them. I’m pretty useless when it comes to biology, and I don’t have the greatest memory when it comes to plant identification. But the one thing I find really fascinating about flowers is their significance within the Language of Flowers.

 

What is the Language of Flowers?

 

flat lay view of Language of Flowers dictionary, embroidery floss, dried flowers

 

The Language of Flowers – or “floriography” – is a symbolic language where meanings are attributed to flowers and plants. These meanings were gathered from folklore, literature, mythology, art, and horticulture. Each flower has a unique significance. The term “floriography” was coined during the Victorian era, at a time where everything floral became extremely popular. The Language of Flowers has earlier origins, however. During the 1760s, the wife of an English diplomat named Lady Mary Wortley Montagu spent some time in Turkey. Her letters home to England contained references to a mysterious and secret language using flowers to communicate. This idea became very popular during the Victorian period, and evolved into a secret language used mainly to communicate forbidden emotions in love and romance.*

 

close up of flower dictionary featuring lady in period dress

The Language of Flowers really caught on at that time, since courtship rules were strict and so many things were socially unacceptable to say out loud when it came to love and romance. This was the perfect solution! What better way to arrange a secret meeting with your admirer without your chaperone knowing? Or refusing a suitor who has been especially encroaching? By arranging bouquets and carefully selecting colours, flowers combined to send messages; some subtle, some symbolic, some very direct.

 

european vintage garden and dried cow vetch bouquet

 

Floriography was “the thing” among men and women alike of the middle and upper classes. Very soon, language of flower dictionaries were published and people actively studied flower meaning. These books became the new favoured “coffee table ” book. It was trendy to study and know and “talk” flower. Flowers were everywhere; in ladies’ hair and gentlemen’s buttonholes, displayed on tables and in paintings, music and art – and most definitely hand embroidery.

 

close up of embroidery floss and antique thimble

 

Floriography & Embroidery

 

I wrote an entire Honours thesis on this very subject: the importance and influence of floriography in hand embroidery during that time. It was endlessly fascinating, and I got to research embroidery patterns and flower meanings at length. I discovered that the Language of Flowers added a whole new layer of significance in women’s embroidery work. More than a pastime or a hobby, hand embroidery was a purpose.

 

Young girls learned to embroider from a young age. Hand embroidery was a virtuous activity, conducive to patience and discipline. The subject of the embroideries also reflected virtue by representing something religious or connected to nature. The Victorians’ deep appreciation for nature’s beauty was most definitely reflected in embroidery. It was no surprise then, that flowers were so often depicted in embroidery.

 

victorian needlework patterns from 1874 and spools of pink silk thread
Young Ladies Journal, 1874. Various needlework and craft patterns.
embroidered azaleas
Embroidered azaleas in needlepainting ~ this was the project that accompanied my Honours thesis. Based on the azalea flower pattern shown in picture above.

 I could expand at length on the role and importance of needlework in women’s lives, but that will be another a whole other post’s topic 😉. In this post, I just want to give you a brief (or not so brief) introduction to floriography.

 

You can find many of the A-Z type of Language of Flowers dictionaries for free online. The Internet Archive is truly a wonderful resource for that. Below is a short compilation of some I’ve come across that I really liked.

 

floriography dictionary and vintage garden diary surrounded by dried flowers

 

Floriography Book List

  • The Language of Flowers: Adapted From the Language and Sentiment of Flowers, published in 1868 by Frederick Warne & Co.
  • The Illustrated Language of Flowers. George Routledge & Sons, 1865. This one has beautiful black and white flower illustrations before each letter of the alphabet.
  • The Language of Flowers, with Illustrative Poetry. Saunders & Otley, Conduit St. London. 1841. This one isn’t so much a dictionary, but actually goes in depth about specific flowers and plants! I haven’t read all but it’s really interesting.
  • Le langage des fleurs. by Mme Charlotte de Latour. Published in Paris in 1800. It was the first Language of Flowers dictionary! It’s in French, but has gorgeous colour illustrations and poetry. The book is divided into seasons, and then goes into detail about specific flowers.
  • The Language of Flowers. Illustrated by Kate Greenaway, and published in 1884 by Routledge & sons in London. This edition is a 1992 reproductions by Dover publications in New York. As you can see if you click the link, you can buy this one in small paperback format on Amazon.

 

close-up Language of flowers dictionary and dried cow vetch bouquet
language of flowers dictionary and dried lavender

 

I love this little book and bring it with me everywhere 😊. It’s formatted like many of the A-Z dictionaries aimed at providing a concise list of flowers and their associated meanings, without going into details. This one features a list of over 200 flowers and plants and their meaning in alphabetical order.

 

opened floriography dictionary showing list of flowers and their meaning

 

There is also a section where you can “reverse search” and look up a meaning instead to find which flower it corresponds to.

 

list showing various meanings in floriography

 

The last few pages are dedicated to beautiful poetry celebrating flowers.

 

The sensitive plant poem with dried leaf on the page

 

And of course, the book is full of Kate Greenaway’s charming illustrations.

 

kate greenaway illustration in floriography dictionary
kate greenaway illustration in floriography dictionary

 

I highly recommend it if you want something small and sweet. It’s perfect for looking a flower’s symbolic meaning on a whim!

 

Discovering Flower Meanings

 

Most of us know that a rose is a universal symbol of love and romance, but with so many different types and colours of roses, they surely can’t all mean the same thing?

A cabbage rose is an ambassador of love, but a Carolina rose warns you that love is dangerous. A white rose boldly declares I am worthy of you, but a deep red rose may mean bashful shame.

 

rose bush

 

Some of these flowers meanings can be obvious (forget-me-not = forget me not). Others are beautiful (honey flower = love sweet and secret). Sometimes they send a direct message (iris = message, or jonquil = I desire a return of affection). Some are downright sassy (Japan rose = beauty is your only attraction). Some are a bit shocking (basil = hatred). And some have very…interesting multiple meanings (lupine = voraciousness and imagination). LOL.

 

blooming blue irises
Iris = message

 

Some modern books written on the topic go more in depth, discussing how the meaning was assigned and how they appear in music and literature, for instance. I really liked A Victorian Flower Dictionary: The Language of Flowers Companion by Mandy Kirkby, which I briefly mentioned in my Loving Lilacs post about Jane Eyre.

 

Floriography & Literature

 

Ever since completing my Honours thesis (and graduating from Costume Studies), I’ve been paying a lot more attention to flower appearances in classic literature. Did the author purposefully include this or that flower in a specific scene? Were they aware of the flower’s meaning? Or are some just happy coincidences? It’s been tons of fun to analyse and speculate. And of course, to reproduce into embroidery…

 

So far on the blog, I’ve discussed the significance of the blooming lilac tree in Jane Eyre. I turned the lilac embroidery into a journal cover as a gift for my dear Mom.

 

lilacs of love inspiration from jane eyre

 

Then I also read and loved The Enchanted April, which was FULL of flowers. I chose the wisteria as my embroidery subject and detailed my project and its appearances in the novel in my post Wisteria Embroidery: Inspired by The Enchanted April.

 

wisteria embroidery inspired by The Enchanted April

 

I’ve been having roses on my mind a lot lately, so I think I might work on something with a rose next! Or maybe daisies, since they’re also very lovely and grow everywhere around here… I’ve also been reading a lot of Beatrix Potter lately – Queen of Cuteness and Nature – and feeling inspired by orderly garden rows and naughty little rabbits! So we’ll see. I promise to keep you updated. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss any flower embroidery and literature inspiration 😊!! I am so thankful for your support and I can’t wait to share more of the many joys flowers + embroidery bring me. I hope you enjoyed this snippet on floriography, and do let me know – what’s your favourite flower? Do you know its meaning?

 

Fondly,

the language of flowers: an introduction
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* A Victorian Flower Dictionary by Mandy Kirkby. Intro written by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. (2011)

Awesome Bullion Knot Hack

     Anne      4 Comments

Who here hates bullion knots? There’s absolutely no shame. They are a beast.

bullion knots made easy

I used to not even like the finished look of them, but I do know. They’re amazingly textured and three-dimensional and really bring the embroidery game to the next level. BUT.

THEY ARE SO ANNOYING TO STITCH.

Admittedly, I haven’t tried very hard. I have a skin condition called hyperhidrosis that makes me sweat from the hands uncontrollably. It’s like having a faucet that never turns off. It doesn’t matter if it’s cold and I’m at my most relaxed, I will still sweat. This makes embroidery very difficult sometimes, but it makes certain stitches pretty much impossible. The bullion knot is one of them. It can be hard enough for dry-handed stitchers, but with sweaty hands, boy oh boy! I don’t recommend AT ALL.

So needless to say, I gave up pretty fast when I tried it. I was also in a huge rush, because the project I was working was a Christmas gift and Christmas was coming SOON. I picked a project that had about 300 bullion knots and I had never worked with them.

Why did I do this to myself, you ask? Great question.

To be fair, I didn’t count them beforehand. I honestly didn’t think it could be that bad, and I really wanted to stitch the beautiful lilac branch from Carol Andrews’s Embroideries From an English Garden. I also like a good embroidery challenge. (You can find the full blog post on this project and its inspiration from Jane Eyre here.)

flat lay view of embroidered lilac branch journal cover
close up of embroidered lilac flowers and beads

But after spending 15 minutes on one bullion knot with my sweaty hands that made the thread impossible to glide through the coil, I was ready to give up. I seriously considered stitching the lilac flowers in a completely different way. But after playing around for a bit, my sweating intensifying with every passing second as Christmas drew closer, I found an incredibly easy way to achieve the bullion knot look without actually stitching a bullion knot.

 

Amazingly Easy Bullion Knot Hack

Alright, so the traditional way to make a bullion knot is to wrap your thread several times around the needle shaft, tightening it with one hand to create a coil, and then pulling the needle through the coil with your other hand. It’s a stitch that takes a lot of practice, but it’s definitely possible and the results are worth it. But sometimes, sometimes you just can’t. And that’s okay, because there is ANOTHER WAY. A MUCH, MUCH EASIER WAY.

 

Begin by threading your needle and see this post on how to best anchor the thread to begin your stitches. Once you’re ready, bring your needle up from the back and make a straight stitch the size you want your bullion knot to be.

straight stitch

 

Come back up in the same hole (or very near) where you first came up to make the straight stitch (point A).

needle coming back up at point A

 

And this is where the magic happens. Slide your needle under the straight stitch and wrap your thread around it repeatedly, until it is all covered. Wrap it tightly, and guide it with the tip of your needle if need be (sometimes the wraps tend to pile on top of each other).

needle gliding behind straight stitch
needle wrapping around straight stitch for bullion knot hack
bullion knot hack in progress

 

When you get to the end, go back at point B, either in the same hole or just besides (it’s a bit more secure to go just besides).

going back down at point b to close the stitch

 

Sometimes the bullion knot will be a little loose from all the wrapping, but that’s ok. Place it however you want it to lay, and make a small anchoring stitch in the middle to hold it in place. It’ll blend in with the wraps.

finished bullion knot laying flat
bullion knot hack complete

 

AND THERE!!!! Isn’t this so much easier than the traditional method? And it LOOKS THE SAME, but it’s so much less aggravating!! No one needs to know it’s not an actual knot. 😉 This is the method I used for my lilac branch project and it worked so well and I was so pleased with the result!!

lilac branch project bullion knot lilac flowers close-up

 

What do you think? Are you a fan of bullion knots in general? Leave me a comment if this tutorial was helpful to you!

Fondly,

super easy bullion knot hack
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Loving Lilacs in “Jane Eyre”

     Anne      3 Comments

I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you.

Charlotte Brontë, JANE EYRE
lilacs in jane eyre embroidery project

 

Reader, I absolutely love Jane Eyre. I first saw it in the spring of 2011. My mom and I would periodically rent period drama DVDs from our local library, and we decided to give the 2006 mini-series a go over the Easter weekend. I don’t think either of us had ever been more mesmerized by a movie, ever. We were so caught up in the story that we watched all four hours of it with no sense of passing time at all. My, but was it captivating!

 

Watching Jane Eyre every spring is now tradition for us (and we’ve started watching it over Christmas too) and it seems to get better every time. I’ve since seen many other adaptations, but none is as good as this one. I read the book in the summer of 2012, and fell even more in love with it than ever. I remember there being lots of rain and thunderstorms nearly every evening I read the book, which suited itself so perfectly to the atmosphere.

 

Jane Eyre is now forever evocative of the late spring/early summer season, of blooming flowers, rain-soaked trees, and thunderstorms.

 

hardcover summer special edition of Jane Eyre surrounded by fresh lilacs

 

I love it to the moon and back.

 

There’s something I’ve always found irresistible about love stories between a governess and the master of the house. And while romance is certainly not this novel’s only merit, it is rather center stage and one of the greatest love stories in English literature (probably in all literature, lol).

 

While researching my Honours project on the relationship between the Language of Flowers and hand embroidery in the Victorian era, I came across several examples of its use in literature as well. The wonderful Language of Flowers companion, A Victorian Flower Dictionary by Mandy Kirkby discussed the significance of the lilac flower in Jane Eyre.

 

Lilac: First Emotions of Love

 

blooming lilac tree

 

It’s no surprise, then, that the lilac appears during the love declaration scene. (Spoiler alert if you haven’t read this book yet!!) When Jane and Rochester passionately declare their feelings for each other, they’re standing in front of a blooming lilac tree. This is the scene where you get the famous I AM NO BIRD AND I WILL NOT BE CAGED quote.

 

I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you.

Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

 

Ok, I was off, but it’s such an incredible moment in this story! (and one which so many of the film adaptations had trouble capturing, but don’t get me started!)

 

Although technically neither are experiencing the “first” emotions of love at that moment since their feelings built over time, the lilac is still significant. For Jane it’s the first time she’s ever been in love and is able to give in to her feelings. For Rochester it’s certainly the first time he’s known true love. (I make this sound like some sort of sappy fairytale, but I assure you it’s not!! :P)

 

And during that scene under the lilac tree, it’s the first time they finally confess their feelings. Even though you, dear reader, know they will fall in love from the moment they meet (again with the syrupy fairytale…).

 

real lilac branch overshadowing Jane Eyre book and embroidery

 

I knew when I came across that passage in Kirkby’s book that I would have to embroider lilacs in honour of Jane Eyre. I already had a project in mind, this insanely gorgeous branch from a pattern by Carol Andrews in her book Embroideries from an English Garden.

 

embroidered lilac branch surrounded by fresh lilac

 

It’s a bit ambitious, especially since I’d never tried the bullion knot before (and the instructions called for EIGHT per flower!), but I was determined to give it a go.

 

Lilac Embroidery

I can safely say that this is hands-down my favourite thing I’ve ever embroidered. It turned out so well, despite some insanely last-minute stitching that became pretty stressful. I wanted to turn the embroidery into a journal cover as a Christmas gift for my mom, but in classic me style I left most of the stitching until the last few days before Christmas and I was STRESSED. But I did it! And boy am I happy with it!

 

view of finished embroidery surrounded by fresh lilac

 

It’s really the beads that do it for me, they add so much charm and life to it, I just love it. I’m definitely using beads again in future embroideries!

 

The project is honestly not even that hard, it’s just really time-consuming because there are many layers to think of.

First, the leaves, stems, and branch. I used long & short stitch and whatever green threads I had on hand that matched the recommended ones as closely as possible (gotta do what you gotta do when the fabric store is closed). The instructions called for fancy Madeira silk threads and Appleton crewel threads, but unfortunately I had none of those. I made do with good ol’ DMC cotton floss for everything. I think I worked in 2 strands to make the process go a little bit faster.

 

close up of embroidered lilac leaf

 

Then, I continued with the flowers. Each petal has a layer of satin stitch underneath the bullion knots to ensure the fabric won’t show through. Again, I used whatever lilac-y mauves and purples I could find. Once I finished satin-stitching all the petal bases, it was time to attack those bullion knots.

 

By that point, I had tried to make a bullion knot ONCE and was only mildly successful. It was December 22nd at this point and I was tempted to just…not.

I tried the bullion knot again and failed miserably several times. There was no way I would finish on time unless I performed a miracle.

 

So I did.

 

close up of embroidered lilac flowers and beads

 

(If only I could do that with anything, hahaha!)

 

As you can see, the result is highly satisfying and looks just like an actual bullion knot. But of all the knots pictured here, only ONE was made using the actual bullion-knot way. The rest, I just magically willed into existence 😉

 

I came up with what I think is a GENIUS hack for those dreaded bullion knots. Doubtless others before me have thought of it, but I was pretty happy for coming up with a solution by myself.

 

I’ve prepared a lovely little tutorial for you all, in which I spill the beans on my genius hack so that you too can tackle bullion knots with no fear whatsoever.

 

See this post if you want to learn it: Awesome Bullion Knot Hack.

 

You’ll never be scared of bullion knots again, and no one will be the wiser.

 

close up view of embroidered lilac branch

 

All in all, I think I did one of my favourite books justice with Carol Andrews’ incredible pattern. This was totally worth it, but next time I’M STARTING IT AHEAD OF TIME. I say this every single time and never learn. *sigh*

 

Useful Links

 

  • If you’re interested in more of my fangirling over Jane Eyre, head on over to my Goodreads, where I reviewed the book in which I set the spooky atmosphere and tell you imagine Jane walking down a misty path and bewitching a man’s horse.
  • The absolutely gorgeous summer hardcover special edition was a gift from one of my dearest friends, and it’s from Chapters (or Barnes & Nobles, if you’re in the USA).
  • If you want to read Jane Eyre for free, you can download a free copy at Project Gutenberg or borrow it online at Open Library.
  • Carol Andrews’s Embroideries from an English Garden: Chapters or Amazon US.
  • A Victorian Flower Dictionary: The Language of Flowers Companion by Mandy Kirkby: Chapters or Barnes & Nobles.

 

And with all this, let’s end on this fabulous quote:

The soul, fortunately, has an interpreter – often an unconscious but still a faithful interpreter – in the eye.

Brontë, Jane Eyre

 

May it inspire you in turn to stitch some blooming flowers and read (or re-read) Jane Eyre. For the best film adaptations and which ones to avoid like the plague, don’t hesitate to get in touch any time. DM me on Insta @northernbellediary or leave a comment or send me an email (anne.marie@diaryofanorthernbelle.com)😊. Also be sure to subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss my awesome bullion knot hack!

 

Fondly,

Embroidery inspiration lilacs from Jane Eyre
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FREE Embroidery Pattern & Tutorial: Wisteria Branch

     Anne      4 Comments

Who’s ready for a hand embroidery pattern freebie? 🙂

 

embroidery freebie wisteria

Read on to download this sweet wisteria embroidery pattern & see the tutorial. 🙂 Last week, I introduced you to one of my new favourite novels, The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim. We talked about how dreamy and escapist it was, and how much flower inspiration there was to be found in it. The wisteria in particular, proved to be a wonderful subject for embroidery!

 

If you haven’t seen that post, check it out here.

 

I showed you a bit of how I embroidered my wisteria-inspired project, and if you liked it then the good news is that I have more wisteria for you this week!

 

embroidered wisteria branch finished side view
embroidered wisteria branch finished view from top

 

I created this pattern so I could share my newfound love of wisteria with you all. Now you can stitch your own! May it bring you sunshine and happiness as promised in The Enchanted April.

 

The pattern is super simple and accessible to beginners. I only used three basic stitches: the split stitch, the lazy-daisy stitch, and a form of leaf stitch. Simply click on any of these for a full tutorial on how to work them.

 

See also: The Only Embroidery Tools You Really Need to know which basic materials you will need for this project.

 

DOWNLOAD YOUR PDF HERE: Wisteria Free Embroidery PatternDownload

 

Tutorial:

 

I used DMC floss, but you can use another brand if you like. You can find a good conversion chart here. I used 2 strands throughout the whole project.

 

#153 (Vy Lt. Violet)

#210 (Md. Lavender)

#470 (Lt. Avocado Green)

#553 (Violet)

#3011 (Dk. Khaki Green)

#3042 (Lt. Antique Violet)

 

See also this post on How to Start & End Your Stitches.

 

1. Branches

 

Begin by stitching the branches (or stems?) with #470 . Since the leaves and the flowers will go over it, it’s easier to start with it first. I used the split stitch, but feel free to use any other outline stitch that you like, such as the backstitch or the stem stitch. Stitch all the way down the middle of the flower cluster. Some of it will show through once the flowers are stitched. You can also stop the branch before the cluster if you don’t want it showing through or you want to make your flowers very tight together.

 

wisteria stem in split stitch

 

2. Leaves

 

There are many ways to embroider leaves, but I kept it super simple here and just stitched mine with a simple leaf stitch. The method I use is kind of a cross between satin stitch and fishbone stitch. Using 2 strands of #470, make a small straight stitch from the top of the leaf to the top of the guideline running down the middle vein.

 

leaf worked in straight stitches

 

Work your way down the leaf by starting your stitches on the outline of the leaf and ending on the middle guideline for the central vein. Make your stitches at a diagonal angle to keep the shape of the leaf. I like to work one side at a time (usually I start with the right).

 

leaf worked in straight stitches one side at a time

 

If you’re satisfied with the look of the leaves as they are after this step, you can skip the next step! I just wanted to add a bit more colour and texture to mine.

 

Using #3011, make a straight stitch down the middle of the leaf for the main vein. I also added two very small stitches on either side, also on a slight angle.

 

view of finished leaves

 

3. The Flowers

 

The flowers are all worked in lazy-daisy stitches, sort of scattered in a downward motion and fairly close together to create the droopy cluster effect. On your pattern, the dotted line indicates the shape the finished cluster will take. You don’t have to transfer that line on your fabric as it may leave marks if it’s not entirely covered in stitches. It’s more just to give you an idea of the finished size and shape. You can transfer the straight lines going down from the stem, as those should be all covered and will help you to guide the placement of your stitches.

 

You want to work your lazy-daisies downward, some going straight down, and others going at slight angles from the branch. There is no specific placement for each of them though, and this is a very forgiving flower for embroidery. One stitch or two out of place will only add shape to it! Have fun with it and experiment with where you place your stitches if you want to change the shape a bit, or the way it hangs.

 

lazy-daisy stitches embroidered along wisteria branch to create flowers
wisteria branch being filled with lazy-daisy stitches to create the flowers

 

I used #153, #3042 and #210 for the smaller branch, and #153, #3042 and #553 for the bigger one.

 

finished embroidery work

 

And there you go! I decided to add a little bow at the last minute to give it a more finished look. I used a piece of narrow white satin ribbon, tied it into a bow and sewed it to the base of the branch.

 

view of little white ribbon bow at base of wisteria branch

 

It looks pretty cute I think! I really hope you have fun stitching this wisteria pattern. This is the first “real” pattern I’ve ever made so I’m pretty excited. Any feedback will be super appreciated and I would love it if you show me your results! Tag me on Instagram @northernbelle.atelier if you try this wisteria pattern! 🙂 Also don’t hesitate to reach out for any questions or comments and be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for more embroidery content!

 

Fondly,

wisteria embroidery free pattern
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Wisteria Embroidery: Inspired by The Enchanted April

     Anne      Leave a Comment

Ready for more springtime embroidery inspiration (it’s technically still spring though it feels like summer!)? This week is all about wisteria. The inspiration came from a classic novel that is now one of my favourites!

Discover the Enchanted April through embroidery

You know the feeling of being listless and unhappy, when the weather is cold and miserable and you just feel stuck in the same endless routine day in and day out? And then you scroll through social media and see travel ads for sunny beaches in the south or luxurious getaways in Europe?

What if you actually clicked on the ad and worse, actually went to the destination of your dreams? Just to escape life for a short month and be happy, for a change?

Oh, wouldn’t it be loverly!

Unfortunately, for most of us that is sadly not an option. Not realistic in the least. But hopefully, you aren’t listless and unhappy. And if you are, well this post is all about sunshine and happiness and is sure to lift your spirits up!

finished wisteria embroidery and The Enchanted April bookcover shown on iPad
You see, the heroines of Elizabeth von Arnim’s The Enchanted April were lucky enough to get their dreamy escape.

Because it’s fiction and it’s the 1920s in Europe and it’s a wonderful story, four women take the plunge and actually respond to the ad that comes their way. It promises wisteria and sunshine at a medieval castle in Italy. How does one resist?

Escaping their various dreary realities in rainy England, they journey to San Salvatore where they intend to spend a month doing nothing but recharging their batteries and admiring the lush, beautiful landscapes. And oh, is there ever something to admire! Von Arnim’s descriptions are absolutely breath-taking.

different cover of The Enchanted April shown on iPad

The setting she creates is as magical and escapist as it gets. Reading this book is like flicking through a Bliss Victoria magazine. It is all garden and flowers and relaxation and flowy tea gowns.

“[…] where the pergola ended the sun blazed on scarlet geraniums, bushes of them, and nasturtiums in great heaps, and marigolds so brilliant that they seemed to be burning, and red and pink snapdragons, all outdoing each other in bright, fierce colour.”

Elizabeth von Arnim, The Enchanted April.
finished wisteria embroidery against bottom half of Enchanted April bookcover on iPad

Oh, the beautiful, dreamy imagery!

(You can find my full review of the book (really it’s just more gushing) here on Goodreads.)

I picked up this charming novel in early April because it was the month’s selection at The Enchanted Book Club. I didn’t finish it on time, but I was inspired to create something from it as soon as I read the ad about wisteria and sunshine. The more I read, the more I realized it would be impossible to incorporate ALL the flowers mentioned in the book in my embroidery (unless I worked all year on it!), but the wisteria really stuck with me. The idea for the umbrella emerged from a sketch in my bullet journal setup for April, and I knew it would go perfectly with the wisteria!

 

Flower Meaning & Significance: Wisteria

 

Alright, confession: I’ve never seen wisteria, and I didn’t know what it looked like when I started reading. I knew it was some kind of flower, but I had no idea what it actually looked like! Does it grow in Canada? I think it’s definitely popular in Europe and in Japan, from the images that come up when you Google it.

 

branches of wisteria
Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels

Growing in great big vine-like clusters and filling the air with their sweet fragrance, it’s no wonder that the wisteria would be greatly enticing in that newspaper ad. Imagine it growing all over the medieval castle walls, its branches hanging by your bedroom window!

“The wisteria was tumbling over itself in its excess of life, its prodigality of flowering, […]”

Elizabeth von Arnim, The Enchanted April.

I had to dig around a bit in a few Victorian flower dictionary to find its floriography meaning. My beloved Language of Flowers by Kate Greenaway did not have anything on wisteria. But I did find it in another A-Z dictionary of the same name. It was published in 1868 by Frederick Warne & Co. in London. (You can access it for free on Internet Archive here.)

 

The wisteria stands for welcome, fair stranger.

 

This meaning is very pertinent in the context of the story, since the flowering wisteria is in full bloom when the four ladies arrive at San Salvatore at the beginning of April. All being English, they are strangers to Italy, but receive a most warm welcome, not the least from the flowers. The wisteria is there to welcome them, in all its abundant purple glory. It starts to fade after the first week, just as the ladies are settling in, and makes way for the banksia roses.

 

finished wisteria hoop art against book cover of The Enchanted April on iPad

 

Other Interesting Meanings

 

Enough flowers are mentioned in The Enchanted April to fill a dozen blog posts and as many embroideries. I can’t discuss all of them, but of significance were also the daphne and the red camellia.

Daphne = Glory. Immortality.

Red Camellia Japonica = Unpretending Excellence.

 

flowering camellia bush
Photo by Ryutaro Tsukata from Pexels

I might have to do more posts on this book, and read the author’s other novel Elizabeth And Her German Garden. She was passionate about flowers, and it shows!

The Enchanted April has turned into the enchanted June at this point, but I think its overall vibe is still perfect for this time of year.

“Such a jumble of spring and summer was not to be believed in, except by those who dwelt in those gardens. Everything seemed to be out together – all the things crowded into one month which in England are spread penuriously over six.”

Elizabeth von Arnim, The Enchanted April

Wisteria in Embroidery

 

This project was immensely fun to work on, from the initial idea in my head to the finished piece. I will admit, there was a point where I grew disheartened with the whole thing and wanted to give up.

 

hoop in progress held up outdoors

I wasn’t loving the colour combination. The umbrella outline was far from perfect. The lace appliqué was shifting, and my wisteria embroidery felt all over the place.

So I walked away for a hot minute, and came back deciding to add pink. There is such a thing as pink wisteria, so it works! And I like the colours so much more now.

 

wisteria embroidery in progress showing clusters of pink and purple flowers

This piece isn’t very hard to stitch, but it was time-consuming and I did improvise my flower and leaf placement a lot!

I really wanted to use lace for the umbrella, so I found an old curtain and cut out my umbrella shape. I ran a running stitch all the way around to anchor it, and then did the outline in yellow pearl cotton thread with a stem stitch.

 

umbrella template on lace to make appliqué
lace appliqué being sewn on main fabric
stem stitch outline worked around lace appliqué

The handle and branches are worked in rows of split stitch, and the flowers are done in lazy-daisy stitches. I really had to pay attention to their direction so they would look “droopy” enough. The bunch on the right side looks almost like it’s being blown by the wind!

 

close up of wisteria branch cluster
Lazy-daisy stitches going in different directions to create a cluster effect. They all point downward, as a real wisteria branch would look.
wisteria umbrella embroidery in progress

I’m really happy with the result, and once I got going it was easy to create more branches. You can probably see that I went way off my original markings, which is partly why I used a water-soluble pen to transfer the pattern. I only had rough guidelines as to where I wanted everything to go, and in the end I changed the placement of a few things.

 

view of left side of wisteria branches in progress
lazy daisy stitches to form wisteria branch
close up of stitches wisteria leaves
The leaves are done in straight stitches placed a bit randomly 😛 They were so small that I didn’t really have a solid way of doing them, and just placed stitches until I was satisfied that it looked like a leaf.

Exciting News on What’s Next

 

I’m still tweaking and playing around with this pattern, but I hope to make it available for sale soon! Definitely let me know if you would be interested, and be sure to subscribe to my blog so you won’t miss when it comes out 😊. 

finished view of wisteria spilling out of umbrella in embroidery hoop

In the meantime, I’m also working on a freebie version still inspired from this book and my sketch! I hope to have that ready for you next week. There is already a lazy-daisy stitch tutorial available for you here, and you can also see this blog post for the other stitches I used in this project.

I hope this inspired you to want to stitch your own wisteria, or read The Enchanted April! I can’t recommend it enough. The book is available to read for free via Project Gutenberg if you’re interested! There are some typos, but it is unabridged (and free). It’s the version I read, once my library loan for a paperback copy expired.

I would love to hear your thoughts on spring flowers and dreamy escapes in the comments! Where would you go if you could escape for a month?

 

Fondly,

wisteria flower embroidery insiration
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