Welcome back to our next Inspired by Beatrix blog post, where this month we are featuring Lindsay Hawes, the embroidery artist behind Linden Acres Design Co. Having only first attempted embroidery six years ago, Lindsay tells us that she fell in love from the start with this beautiful art form that utilizes various shades of thread, along with the direction of the stitches, to mimic the brushstrokes of a painting creating a realistic image.
Lindsay’s art is particularly unique as her canvas consists of vintage books, many of which are the Beatrix Potter “little books.” Lindsay shares with us how she is drawn to this medium, and how the story of the object can really add to the finished piece.
I’ve always had a love of books, vintage copies in particular. I like to wonder who their previous owners have been. Were they given as gifts; were they well-loved and treasured; were they passed down through the family? I picked up a copy of Alice in Wonderland as my very first attempt at this crazy idea and the rest is history. From then on my canvases have been early copies of Pride and Prejudice, a tattered Secret Garden novel, a whimsical cover of the Wizard of Oz, an endearing copy of The House at Pooh Corner, an old elementary school library collection of Beatrix Potter’s works, and many more books. I like to think of it as giving these shabby novels a second life – to be loved and treasured once again.
When starting on an embroidered book, I like to take time to think about the story itself. I come up with a rough sketch based on the story or specific elements mentioned in the story. I am thoughtful of the color palette and how the different colored threads will play against the color of the book cover. Finally the stitching (my favorite part) begins. It is a slow process, but well worth it in the end.
Visitors of Linden Acres Design Co. social media outlets will quickly notice that Beatrix Potter tales are heavily represented. Beatrix Potter’s illustrations, characters, and the settings of her stories, inspire Lindsay with their soft color palettes and anthropomorphic characters. The setting of the lush countryside of the Lake District, which of course we see in Potter’s tales, come through the embroidered covers Lindsay adds to the little tales. The addition of flowers and vegetables really makes the stories beautifully pop in new and eye-catching ways.
When asked how Lindsay decided to include Beatrix Potter works in her art, she tells us of her nostalgic connection to Potter and how both of their love of nature has created an artistic connection.
I have been a fan of Beatrix Potter’s work for as long as I can remember. I owned a treasury of her stories as a child. And I distinctly remember watching a show called “The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends”. Although it wasn’t until just recently that I discovered what the name was again. It was the intro to the show that I so vividly remember and that I fell in love with. While the main show was a cartoon version of Beatrix’s beloved tales, the intro shows a live action video of a young woman (playing Beatrix Potter) accompanied by her pet collie out in nature with her paints and canvas when it starts to rain. It flashes to various wild animals that we know and love from the books – rabbits, foxes, toads and hedgehogs – as the rain starts coming down. She packs up her materials and makes her way back to her home. She is met inside by her rabbit, Peter, who encourages her to tell her stories which lead into the narrated cartoon.
The majority of my subject matter is plants and animals. Like Beatrix Potter, I am truly inspired by nature. I love embroidering flowers, vegetables, and birds especially. When I am not busy stitching, I treasure my time spent in my vegetable garden, or tending to my small flock of chickens and two pet rabbits. We also have so many cottontails that live on our property that we often walk past the window and play the game we like to call “How Many?” It’s an invitation to the others in the house to guess how many rabbits we see in the yard. It usually ranges from one to five at any given time.
While Lindsay finds herself drawn to the world of Beatrix Potter in her little books, we can absolutely say we are drawn to Lindsay’s beautiful embroidery creations. She is currently working on embroidering a Beatrix Potter collection of 23 little books which once belonged to an elementary school library. She has completed: “The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit” which featured carrots; “The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse” which featured cherries; “The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck” which featured foxgloves; and “The Tale of Mr. Tod” which featured blue hyacinth bulbs.
Visit Linden Acres Design Co.’s socials to view more beautiful creations and see what is for sale!
Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LindenAcres
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindenacresdesign/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindenAcresDesign
All photos in this blog courtesy of Lindsay Hawes.
