The French Birdcage by Christine P. Bishop

When it comes to writing the articles for our featured projects, our endeavour is to share with you some of the back stories about the designs, the techniques, the artists, their processes and maybe even some trivia, that you may not have known otherwise.

Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, we also want to give proper and due credit to the designer of each piece and thank them for, through their work, inspiring all of us to pick up our needle and stitch.

Our first feature project this week has become a run-away success as the most popular project to-date in the latest issue of Inspirations magazine, #121.

So, it gives us great pleasure to pay copious amounts of credit to our own hometown hero, Christine P. Bishop.

Christine is in fact, one of those needlework artisans who is somewhat of a silent achiever. Famous for keeping historical techniques very much alive and well in our current generation, Christine’s body of work is so prolific and so profound, that it’s not until you step back and take in all she has achieved to date, that you fully appreciate her contribution.

We’re not going to have time today to give Christine the proper accolade that she deserves, but we encourage you to take a moment and review some of her previous feature articles HERE and check out an overview of her published projects HERE.

And here’s a fun fact for you… Christine’s piece Reticella Sampler from A Passion for Needlework | Factoria VII is forever etched in the Inspirations Studios history books as the project featuring the most step-by-step photographs we’ve ever published, such is the depth of skill and breadth of detail she incorporates into her work.

Now, we had better tell you about The French Birdcage!

Here’s what you need to know… this is a counted thread workbox that opens to reveal a collection of six delightful matching needlework accessories. It’s an etui created using a classic French palette of red thread on natural linen, fashioned in the guise of an elegant, hexagonal cage displaying an assortment of birds worked with Sorbello knots.

Tasselled cords are used to draw the etui closed and finish some of the stitching accessories.

Techniques you will enjoy working when creating your own French Birdcage include antique hem stitch, cross stitch, double running stitch, four-sided stitch, Hedebo stitch loop, satin stitch, Sorbello knot, tent stitch and trellis couching.

When completed, the finished workbox measures 20cm x 15cm wide (8″ x 6″), omitting the twisted cords.

If you’re not a fan of cutting up the pieces of mount board to create all the panels, we’ve done the hard work for you and included them all in the kit. Some of you right now are saying, the price of the kit is worth having the boards pre-cut alone!

Comprehensive instructions for the construction is included in the pattern sheet, so thanks to Christine’s impeccable attention to detail, it will be like she is holding your hand throughout each step of both the embroidery and finishing.

Thank you, Christine, for yet another beautiful project and thank you for your significant and ongoing contribution to the world of needlework.

PS – From time-to-time, despite our best endeavours, mistakes are discovered after we’ve published a project. In the instance of The French Birdcage, the chart for the scissor sheath was omitted from the pattern sheet included in Inspirations magazine issue 121.

For the missing chart, please download the latest errata PDF from our website HERE.

We have all the materials you need to re-create this project yourself, from easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions to a Ready-to-Stitch kit with everything sourced for you.

*Instructions – As this kit does not include instructions, for step-by-step directions on how to create this project, please refer to Inspirations magazine issue 121 or The French Birdcage digital pattern, both purchased separately.