Work in progress

George Bain, his daughter Claire, or one of his students, has chosen a large length of fairly coarse, grey-brown linen for this work. In fact, the material is so heavy and dull in colour that we don’t know if it really was intended for a wall hanging. Perhaps each circle was to be cut out once embroidered and used as a placemat.

The prepared designs have been drawn onto the cloth. Three patterns are outlined in pencil, but only one has been started. Two are of the Aberlemno triskeles (three-in-one spirals), carved into the centre of the Pictish cross in the graveyard. The other is of three intertwined birds, their talons interlocked at the middle of the roundel. Each bird has a different design on its wing. They are loosely based on similar examples in the Book of Kells.