Happy Winter Solstice 2021

To celebrate the coming of a new (and hopefully better) year, I want to share with you the second in my “Look Her Up” Women’s History needlepoint series.  (Jane Addams was the first and can be viewed on my website: http://harrietalonso.com. )

I know that most of you will know the name, “Harriet Tubman.” But if you take out your phones, computers, ipads, and even books, you will discover much you probably are not aware of about this courageous and endlessly fascinating woman.

This piece measures 8” x 11” and was stitched on 18 mesh Zweigart mono canvas. The embroidery was done entirely in Rainbow Gallery’s Silk Splendor. If you allow your eye to travel around the design, you will see references to Tubman’s life as an enslaved child and then woman and her work on the Underground Railroad. Note the (North) stars and compass points in the border and the quote. Then look at the design. There’s the Big Dipper (the Drinking Gourd), a tree with moss helping to point the way North, and Tubman in the lead. She almost always wore a head scarf. When the lights in the room are dimmed, the scene starts to fade. When the lights come up, it is clear, but indicates it is nighttime, for that is the time most people taking their freedom had to make the trip.

Again, happy Winter Solstice. May 2022 bring you health and happiness and a $20 bill with Harriet Tubman’s face on it!