All Stitched Up: The Story of Simba The Lion

After several months spect stitching this canvas and toting it around with me on a multitude of travels and continents, Simba is finally complete! This stitch will be finished on the back of a jacket or on a leather tote.. Once I find the perfect candidate…

I designed this canvas last year after a special customer asked if I would create a mate for the Lily canvas. She loved the aesthetic and color way of the Leo, but wanted one that could complement the canvas she had already stitched- to act as a pair for a diptych on her sofa in her home. With a deep love for these creatures, I was elated to agree to take on the project and put brush to canvas. With some design choices along the way, I did my best to develop a piece that did Leo justice, but had its own personality.

Most importantly, I decided that this lion would benefit learners through The Leo Project. To date, we have donated over $3k to Jessica’s mission to create artistic opportunities and healing outlets for vulnerable youth in Nanyuki, Kenya, much of which was raised through the sales of this canvas.

The very last stitch yesterday afternoon. For the eyes, I decided to go with a variegated silk I found in a needlework shop here in Victoria, BC. I am not quite sure it was my best decision as it was difficult to make the surrounding bits contrast. The ribbon was just so beautiful that I wanted to use it, but should have been more selective. The lion’s markings no longer appear to be framing the iris as ultimately blend in a bit. Despite this result, I am happy with the piece and decided to embrace it as a part of Victoria, our final stop on this canvas as well as a representation of the fabric of our new home.

From Vermont to Montana to London to Kenya, this canvas has travelled with me everywhere. It tagged along on our nineteen day road trip from Vermont to British Columbia and flew across the world with me to Tanzania and Kenya. It even made it to nearly the top of Kilimanjaro (but stayed behind in my tent for the summit)!

I stitched it in the car en route to Vermont from our former home in Cambridge on the day Mr. Oceans and I got engaged. Crossing the border from Tanzania to Kenya, some major progress was made on Simba while traveling to meet students in Njabini and Nanyuki. From place to place and moment to moment, it has served as a tangible map of some of this life’s greatest adventures. I will treasure it forever and hope to one day pass it along. ✨

It is for these reasons and beyond that needlepoint tells everlasting stories of our lives. For the good, the bad, and everything in between, needlepoint allows us to create tangible maps of our journeys, helping us stitch up ourselves so we can help stitch up each other. To discover peace, silence, friendship, contemplation, celebration and even solace in the many moments life throws at us. It has been inspiring to hear all of your stories of how needlepoint has uplifted your life and I look forward to continuing this dialogue from here on out ✨

I will treasure it forever and hope to one day pass it along. ✨

It is truly wild to see the original canvas as it was so long ago since I started stitching this project. There have been so many free styling design decisions that have been made in situ. That is one of the beautiful things about needlepoint. Because the process is so long, we have the capacity to allow our surroundings influence our work. Whether it was a particular shade of blue that stopped you in your tracks, or a tint of honey colored yellow that you saw in Charleston that makes your heart skip a beat, these color stories can be woven into the fabric of our memories. Perhaps it is because I am constantly thinking in terms of colors, they leave lasting impressions on me- those by which I then in turn incorporate in my work.

For this canvas, I “last minute” decided to replace the surrounding white markings for Silk & Ivory’s taupe to evoke the tint of taupe my tea decided to enthrall me with. Once I got to the face, I made the choice to stitch True Blue. I had tried Sand, but it didn’t work as well as I would have like it to- it was too warm for the palette that I had selected. The blue, I felt, tied in together my blues that I selected for the mane’s markings, and I’m just simply a blue kind of person. As a result, a colorful cooling effect took over and he was customly outfitted to fit my taste.

Stay tuned as I will be having it finished the next time I visit The States!