Jacobean Magpies by Nicola Jarvis

There is an old rhyme that some of us may recall from childhood - One for sorrow, two for joy - and it is the perfect lens through which to discover Nicola Jarvis's magnificent Jacobean Magpies, a project as rich in narrative as it is in stitch.

Nicola has long been struck by the theatrical personalities of the English magpies that inhabit her garden and allotment in Warwickshire - comical, clever, conspicuously dressed, and, as she puts it, very similar to parrots in their behaviour.

When Nicola catches a glimpse of a magpie perched on a branch framed by autumn foliage, she is reminded of the fantastical birds and stylised florals of seventeenth-century Jacobean crewel embroideries.

That instinct has found a spectacular home in this project, where a pair of magpies - resplendent in their satin-black plumage, gleaming white bibs, and crowns of beaded gold - are set against a cartouche of richly coloured, Jacobean-inspired leaves, flowers, and pomegranates.

The design is both a love letter to a beloved corner of Warwickshire and a personal farewell to it.

In late 2024, Nicola and her husband David made a long-held dream a reality, leaving their home on the northern edge of Leamington Spa for Quince Cottage - named after their golden retriever and Nicola's favourite fruit tree - in a pretty village within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The two magpies in this design symbolise the warmth and happiness of everything that Loveday Drive gave them: two for joy.The two magpies in this design symbolise the warmth and happiness of everything that Loveday Drive gave them: two for joy.

Appearing in Nicola’s latest book Life in Seasons 2, Jacobean Magpies measures 18cm x 27cm wide (7⅛" x 10⅝") and is worked in surface embroidery on ivory cotton half Panama.

It is a project rich in technical depth combining 15 different stitches and using a sumptuous range of threads including Au Ver à Soie fine wool and stranded silk, metallic braids, and DMC stranded cotton.

The magpies' distinctive blue flight feathers are worked in chain stitch, their wing coverts padded and layered, and the Jacobean foliage is brought to life through a lively combination of cross stitch filling, stem stitch, whipped back stitch, and French knots.

One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret never to be told …

In many ways each line in this poem is reflected in Nicola’s Jacobean Magpies design. We know that two is more joy than one, hence the pair. The magpies could be both a girl and a boy. Silver is used to shade their wings, and those gold crowns are joyously regal.

As for the secret never to be told… well now, we could spend an entire newsletter just dedicated to that subject but for now we might leave that for you to discuss with the magpies while you stitch!

Ready-to-Stitch Kit

Kits for Jacobean Magpies are now available to purchase using the link below and include everything you need to re-create this project, excluding instructions and the sewing box, giving you the freedom to finish and display the piece in a way that suits you.

Background

As this project has been stitched on pre-printed fabric, the kit includes the fabric pre-printed with Nicola's original design so you can re-create it exactly as it appears in the book. Alternatively, you can use the pattern sheet included in the Life in Seasons 2 book to transfer the design and create your own background elements.

Instructions

Please note that instructions are not included in this kit. Complete, step-by-step instructions for stitching Jacobean Magpies are provided in the book Life in Seasons 2, sold separately.