Pomegranate Still Life by Margaret Light

Imagine there are 12 of you in your immediate family and it comes time to send out the family Christmas cards. Instead of a group photo, only one of you will appear on the front of the card.

You can already guess the dilemma… who from the family gets chosen?

This same dilemma plays out here at Inspirations Studios with almost every publication we produce. Which project (or family member) from each book or magazine gets chosen to appear on the front cover?

What does this have to do with the project ‘Pomegranate Still Life’ by Margaret Light? Well, this piece was the runner up to appear on the front cover of her latest book ‘A Fine Tradition 2’ and we’re interested to know your thoughts!

First, let us tell you more about this very dynamic piece.

Measuring 35cm (14”) square with stitching all the way to the edges on two sides, this is quite an imposing piece in real life. Adding to its strong presence are the design features Margaret has used that are not typically seen in still life embroidery.

Drawing influence from patterns found on rugs seems like an unlikely source of inspiration for a still life project.

Margaret has quite a personal collection of rugs and has always been drawn to the small pictorial still-life motifs that are stiff in appearance and a little abstract, typical of some Khotan rugs produced by local weavers at the time.

Another interesting approach Margaret has used in Pomegranate Still Life is including an aspect of the design that is too large to be contained within the fabric. As a result, we have elements that are truncated and end abruptly at the edge of the frame alluding to that which you can’t see, which is a clever way to make the overall piece feel larger.

Then there is the incredibly diverse use of stitches that are as exotic as the design itself.

Take for example the main focal point of the piece, those three spectacular ruby red pomegranates. What makes them so seductive?

The exocarp (or skin of the fruit) is created by blending three colours, a watermelon and two hues of salmon, and working them in corded detached blanket stitch to form needlelace. This historical filling stitch acts to create a dense net over the fabric, which once completed is radiant. And yes, they are French knots used as representatives for seeds in the centre.

This is just one example of the glorious wonder Margaret has layered into this project – if only we had more time to tell you more…

Just before we go though, back to our story about selecting the cover project. Pomegranate Still Life was a close contender but was beaten out by the resplendent Fieldflowers in a Bowl featuring that vivacious sunflower.

Which family member would you have picked for the book cover? The pomegranate or the sunflower? Maybe you can stitch them both and then decide for yourself!

Make Your Own Pomegranate Still Life

Step 1 – Purchase Project Instructions

Pomegranate Still Life by Margaret Light is a superb still life beautifully combining colour and stitch to depict branches of cherry blossom in a large vase and needlelace pomegranates on a patterned dish.

Step 2 – Purchase Ready-To-Stitch Kit

The Inspirations Ready-To-Stitch kit for Pomegranate Still Life includes everything* you need to re-create this stunning abstracted blossom and pomegranates: Fabric with pre-printed design, embroidery threads and needles.

*Please Note: To cater for flexibility of purchase, instructions are not included with our kits. For step-by-step directions on how to create this project, please refer to the book.