Spring embroidery designs, especially tulips, signal the arrival of spring and warmer weather. The bright colours of flowers add to the beauty of spring and summer. Tulips sleep in the summer, fall and winter. They come back every spring and are bright, beautiful flowers! I would love to have a garden full of tulips in many colours. In the meantime, I will settle for some tulip mug rugs 🙂
I wanted to know how long the lovely tulips have been cultivated and learn more about their colours. In the 15th century, tulips were the trendiest flowers, and of course, they are the best for spring embroidery designs.
Did you know that tulips have no scent? I always assumed that they smelled pretty, but I can’t remember the last time I stopped and smelled them.
Growing wild over much of the Near East and Central Asia, tulips had probably been cultivated in Persia from the 10th century. By the 15th century, tulips were among the most prized flowers; becoming the symbol of the later Ottomans. Tulips were cultivated in Byzantine Constantinople as early as 1055 but they did not come to the attention of Northern Europeans until the sixteenth century, when Northern European diplomats to the Ottoman court observed and reported on them.[2] They were rapidly introduced into Northern Europe and became a much-sought-after commodity during tulip mania. Tulips were frequently depicted in Dutch Golden Age paintings, and have become associated with the Netherlands, the major producer for world markets, ever since. In the seventeenth-century Netherlands, during the time of the tulip mania, an infection of tulip bulbs by the tulip breaking virus created variegated patterns in the tulip flowers that were much admired and valued. While truly broken tulips are not cultivated anymore, the closest available specimens today are part of the group known as the Rembrandts – so named because Rembrandt painted some of the most admired breaks of his time.[3]
quote from wikipedia Tulip – Wikipedia
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The Many Colours of Spring
Tulips come in many different colours, except for a natural blue – dark purple, not blue. Tulips can be one colour or have a variegated look with a different colour or two starting from the bottom. There are so many varieties and colours available, even black. Yep, there is such a thing as a black tulip. The first time they tried, it was a dark maroon/purple – as close to black as you can get in a flower. They kept trying, and in 1986, a Dutch grower finally produced a true black tulip! There are different “shades” of black tulips – some can be a very dark purple, dark maroon, or even a dark brown. Although we are used to traditional tulips’ bright, bold colours, seeing a black tulip is beautiful. Don’t be afraid to use different colors for any spring embroidery design, they will all look fantastic.
The Crocus: another spring embroidery designs
I wanted to make more spring flowers, and the Crocus tote bag was the first one that I created. The crocus flower is shaded and realistic looking. I wanted to create a simple, colourful design for the first tulip. This allows for creativity. I used candle wick stitches and some fun motif stitches on the folded fabric. The tulip mug rug is one of my favourite designs. I made one in purple. For the sew-along, I created a bright pink and turquoise tulip. I love how it turned out!
Brighten up your house or outdoor table with bold colours and busy background fabric. Add some bling to your tulip by adding metallic thread to the detail work. My first thought is a stunning black tulip with gold metallic Kingstar thread. Try the red or turquoise metallic thread, too.
