After years (10?) of planning and dreaming, I have finally taken my first stitches on my Russian Fairy Tale casket, inspired by Bilibin’s illustrations. I have started working on the top of the casket, where I have Pushkin‘s famous “learned cat”, from the prologue to Ruslan and Lyudmila. It begins:
On the shore of the sea a green oak stands; to the oak a chain of gold is tied; and at the chain’s end night and day a learnèd cat walks round and round. Rightwards he goes, and sings a song; leftwards, a fairy tale he tells.
While there are no fairy tales in which this cat features, and he seems to be a creation of Pushkin’s own imagination, every Russian knows of him, and he is often pictured on the cover of fairy tale books. As a cat lover, I had to put him on the top of the casket. Bilibin has illustrated him both as a tiger (tabby) cat and as a black and white tuxedo cat, and I have not quite made up my mind yet as to how to stitch him, so the oak leaves seemed a good place to start. I am using hand-dyed silk (both Gloriana and Waterlilies), on black silk satin. I have started the detached leaves and acorns as well – lots of trial and error so far. Wish me luck!
Kate Ashenden's Blog 