Papillon

For many years I've had this lovely old enameled ink well on my shelf. It belonged to my 3x-great-uncle Robert Henry Trego (1844, Bucks County PA -1929, Ohio) and takes us back to a time when handwriting was an art form.

The enamel work is lovely and is the inspiration for this design. The motifs translate beautifully using silks; the intense colors really pop against the rich black background. A subtle border of standard cross stitches in the black silk over 2 threads of gauze adds dimension to the central motif. The piece is only about 2" square and I love it framed, but think about eliminating the outer border and it would make a stunning scissor fob just 1-1/2" square.