For February I'm working on the Eschscholzia californica (what a mouthful!) flower also known as the California poppy. I did a poppy last year and I'm hoping to do a better job this time. Practice makes perfect, right?
I was really curious about how the poppy got its scientific name. I assumed it was named after someone but until recently I didn't know anything else - including how to say it! What I learned is that a Russian ship arrived in California in 1816 and the naturalist on board named the poppy for his friend, Johann Eschscholzia- the ship's surgeon. (One of the articles I found talking about Johann can be found here.)
The California poppy is a delight to look upon! They open for the daylight and close up their petals for nightfall. I like the idea of them getting ready for bed and stretching in the morning sunshine!
So the California poppy is described as having solitary flowers on long stems, silky-textured, with four petals, each petal 0.79 to 2.36 inches long and is broad. The color of poppies can range from white to yellow to orange and to red, but the orange is the most common and of course the most iconic. I personally love the orange ones the most but I gotta say my neighbor has a bunch of white poppies in their yard, and it's stunning! So you can't really go wrong with any poppy! I also love seeing bees pollinate the poppies. They kind of lie down on their sides, their bodies pressed up against the petals, and circle around the base of the ovaries because that's where the pollen is. It's fascinating!
For more information about the California poppy, check out this site!
Here's the plan:
Colors: DMC 310, 741, 906, 947, 962, 971, & 3770
Petals (A): Satin Stitch- 3 strands of 947
(B): Satin Stitch- 3 strands of 971
(C): Satin Stitch- 2 strands of 971 & 1 strand of 741
(D): Satin Stitch- 3 strands of 741
Receptacle (E): Straight Stitch- 2 strands of 3770 and 1 strand of 962
Stem (F): 4 rows of Stem Stitch- 3 strands of 906
Name: Backstitch- 2 strands of 310
Box: Split stitch- 2 strands of 310, but maybe you want to save this for after you've completed more months to get a nice even stitch across months...
Alternative Plan:
Colors: DMC 310, 741, 906, 947, 962, 971, & 3770
Petals (A): Satin Stitch- 3 strands of 971 for the bulk of the petals, 947 for the outermost petal on the right side, and 740 and 742 for the lighter petals on the left side
Receptacle (B): Straight Stitch- 2 strands of 3770 and 1 strand of 962
Stem (C): 4 rows of Stem Stitch- 3 strands of 906
Name: Backstitch- 2 strands of 310
Box: Split stitch- 2 strands of 310, but maybe you want to save this for after you've completed more months to get a nice even stitch across months...
Stitching Guide:
Alternative Stitching Guide:
Reference Photo:
This picture is not mine. You can find it here.
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