Parrot Tree of Life by Margaret Light

This week we are both humbled and thrilled to present one of Margaret Light's most stunning Kantha designs - Parrot Tree of Life, from The Handpicked Collection 6.

We are deeply grateful to Margaret's husband Jeremy for graciously allowing us to continue releasing some of her previously unpublished work such as this.

Parrot Tree of Life is a framed embroidery measuring 27cm x 35cm, worked on off-white silk broadcloth. A central tree rises through the composition, its branches alive with a profusion of distinctly worked leaves, each one unique in its combination of stitch and colour.

Scattered throughout are three magnificent parrots - each rendered in a different palette and stitch treatment - perched among red and blue flowers and delicate buds.

The entire background is then quilted in the characteristic kantha stitch that gives the finished work its beautiful, softly rippled texture.

What makes this project so quintessentially Margaret is the detail in the design and the glorious choice of colours. Across the project she employs eight different stitches - back stitch, chatai stitch, darning stitch, kaitya stitch, kantha stitch, Kashmiri stitch, threaded running stitch and weave running stitch - each one chosen with purpose, each one contributing something distinct to the overall effect.

As a testament to the level of detail Margaret would go to bringing her designs to life, it's remarkable that in this piece all 32 leaves are worked differently.

The threads are Gumnut Yarns Stars stranded silk - 19 shades in total, ranging from eucalypt greens and olive to lavender, sky blue, salmon pink and daffodil - all worked with a single strand, giving the finished piece its fine, luminous quality.

Kantha embroidery has a history stretching back to ancient times, used for centuries to decorate clothing and home furnishings in the eastern part of India, previously known as Bengal.

It is a technique born of everyday life rather than royal commission - passed down from mother to daughter, intimate and deeply human in its origins. Margaret was drawn to it for precisely those qualities, and for the way its characteristic running stitch variations allow a design to flow continuously and rhythmically across the fabric.

It is one of many far-flung embroidery traditions - from Islamic architecture to Indian block prints to Iranian felt inlay - that Margaret absorbed, studied and wove into her own extraordinary design language.

A note on threads. Gumnut Yarns are becoming increasingly scarce and can be difficult to source. If you want to recreate this project exactly as it appears, the Ready-to-Stitch kit has everything you need - fabric, sewing thread, all embroidery threads and needles - already sourced, inspected and cut to measure.

The kit is a great option if you want to save yourself the trouble of hunting them down individually.

Thank you Margaret for yet another inspiring design — if you were still with us, we would love to tell you once again how much joy your work brings to all who see it. You are, and always will be, treasured.