Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Wuthering Heights - Free Cross Stitch Chart!

You had a temper, like my jealousy
Too hot, too greedy
How could you leave me?
When I needed to possess you?
I hated you, I loved you too...



I designed this initially as a gift for my tutor, as she taught this novel on a course I did, and then had a flash of inspiration, and made her a similar design featuring the "lost Gothic" novel she edited and is a world expert on. I won't be sharing that chart, as it is very personal to Karen, but I'm happy to share this one - and I think more people will have heard of this book rather than The Mysterious Warning (unless they have memorised Northanger Abbey) :o) Hopefully, stitching this won't have the same effect as my gift did for the good doctor - I made her cry ... she'd taught me for the last four years, and I was hoping she'd be my dissertation supervisor, but there have been cutbacks at the University, and non-tenured staff have been shafted had their hours cut.

I have a very ambiguous relationship Wuthering Heights. It seems to turn up on a regular basis in my studies, and I find it very interesting, but just not very likeable. And those people who think it's a wonderful love story ... *cough*. I've been to Haworth a number of times, as my friend lives nearby, and you can see samplers stitched by Emily, Charlotte and Anne in the Parsonage Museum. The borders to this piece are from Emily's sampler, as are her initials, but the main lettering is from other sources. Although she was referred to in the family as "Emily Jane" I've used EB because Wuthering Heights was published under the nom de plume Ellis Bell. 1847 refers to the date of publication of the novel. Poor Emily died the following year.

Moira Blackburn has done a reproduction of Emily's sampler and also ones by Charlotte and Anne Bronte. Emily's was stitched when she was only ten years old, Charlotte's when she was  just six - amazingly, both were done over one linen thread!

If you would like a copy of the chart, please comment below and leave an email address unless yours is visible in your blog profile. Some people ask for charts but I have no way of getting them to them :o( Charts are sent in PDF format.

If you do stitch this design, I'd love to see the finished article - and there will be a prize for any I show on my blog!

Although there is no charge for this chart, a donation to the MS Trust for this chart would be appreciated. Pennies will do - and you can make a donation by clicking here. You have raised £83 so far with your kind donations - let's see if we can make it a nice, round £100!

There is no obligation to make a donation - you will be sent the chart whether or not you choose to make a donation, as I appreciate that some people are not in a financial position to do so.

This pattern is offered for personal, non-commercial use only. Items made from this pattern may be sold on a small scale basis such as on Etsy or at craft sales. Sales for charity are positively encouraged! This pattern and the text and photos contained within, may not be copied or reproduced for any purpose other than personal use. Please direct people to this blog rather than forwarding the pattern, thank you! Copyright 2010 N M Wray

4 comments:

Anna van Schurman said...

There was a (horrible) woman in my Victorian Lit course who told us she wept when she went to the Huntington and saw some Bronte ms or other. For her presentation she brought her scrapbook of a visit to the moors &c. The dude was also presenting and he did a deconstructed the romanticism of the tourist trade surrounding the Brontes. A bit embarrassing but man she deserved it. :)

Carol said...

Pssst..... you didn't answer my email... did you send your ornament for the HoE Exchange? You are the only one not marked sent, which is utterly odd! Thanks!

Meari said...

Don't feel bad. I didn't like Wuthering Heights either. I tried to read it as a teenager (when I had LOTS of time to read for pleasure).

Witch of Stitches said...

Same here, love the novel and don't all at the same time.

Would love the chart! It's that primitive style that I love.
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