Susan Bates - Designing the “Sweet Valentine” Patterns for StitchableCards
Artwork above by Susan Bates
Valentine's Day is named after St. Valentine and it is celebrated on February 14th. Not much is known about the man himself that the day is named after. Some stories say that he was a Roman priest from the third century. It seems that Valentine’s Day wasn’t celebrated as a day of romance until around the 14th century. In later centuries commercially printed cards became available and the day was marked by sending one of them to your lover or intended beau. It seems like this tradition really came into its own in the Victorian era, as the sending of cards became even more popular. Whatever its origins, it's become a time of gift sharing with the ones we love.
The heart is a common motif that is associated with Valentine’s Day and is traditionally seen as the seat of emotion. So for my first idea I worked on some designs that feature this motif.
Red is associated with passion, so my heart is a rich crimson.. It has a banner featuring the word ‘love’ and is surrounded by dainty flowers. I drew inspiration from the iconography of tattoos, as they often depict hearts, flowers and banners to represent love.
Sometimes I like to start a design off by using typography, as it's fun to play around with typefaces and styles of lettering and make this the focus of the design - so for this theme what better word to use than the word ‘love’.
The individual letters fit neatly into this square stitchable shape when arranged horizontally and vertically and the design has a nod to the artwork by Pop Artist Robert Indianna. My design is more fanciful in nature; I've decorated my letters with colourful little flowers, which makes a fun card to stitch and give to someone important in your life.
There are some birds that mate for life - so for me a pair of birds seemed an appropriate motif for Valentine’s Day. In this design here the birds are pretty little bluebirds perched on entwined flowers and leaves. Bluebirds are symbols of joy, hope, renewal, and positivity, which is also another reason to include them in my design. The symmetrical nature of the design is pleasing to me and the colours are light and playful.
For my final design I’ve used the message ‘you are loved’ and incorporated a floral tribute as an ode to the lover in one's life.
Traditional Valentine’s Day motifs include flowers, particularly roses, which are a symbol of beauty and love. Here I’ve mixed coral flowers with little pink roses. The whole design sits on a pale turquoise background, creating a pretty and delicate image.
All in all, this is a romantic set of designs, full of expressions of love. I’m confident that you will find something here that you love and want to stitch as a gift to give to someone you cherish.
