Our Littlest Stitcher Daisy

Louise took the panel home to stitch the side panel with the hill Morven and the Caithness Flagstones in the foreground. Louise has 2 young children who have been very interested when the panel came home to visit them from time to time. They liked hearing about schools in 1851 and how different it was to their school presently. This time she persuaded her youngest, Daisy to put in a few stitches.

Louise would put the needle where she wanted it to be and her small slave, ahem, her daughter would then pull it through and she was extremely good at it. A natural for when there is a tapestry when Daisy is older!

Daisy concentrating. Not bad for a 4 year old.

Daisy sitting with the threads all out the case. She was 'helping' get the colours Louise needed.

Louise has been randomly stopping around the county to take photos of the Flagstones that are used as fences to keep livestock in. They are now backed up by modern fencing but the farmers would use them as they were a plentiful local resource.  This was a profitable industry in the 1800's which continues to this day at Spittal in the middle of the county.

Castletown on the north coast of Caithness had a quarry and exported high quality flagstones. Caithness Flagstone floors some of the worlds most prestigious buildings from the Scottish Parliament to the streets of New York, Boston and London. 

It ages well and the clear air shows as the lichens find a home on them as you can see in this photo.

Valerie outlined the flagstones in a Quaker stitch and Louise and Lorna French knotted the wee sheep. It was going to be a lamb but then it was pointed out that Cheannie was harvesting the Neeps so it had to be a sheep from a distance so to mirror Dolly the sheep Louise added some grey French Knots. Louise then started filling in the stone using thread painting of long and short stitches in various colours to reflect the stones many colours.


Morven dominates the southern horizon of Caithness. It is classed as a Graham and is 706m high. It sits to the south edge of the county at the bottom of the Flow Country which is a tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site. The flow country is a 4000km squared area of low lying peatland and wetland area of Caithness and Sutherland. Which is the largest bogland in Europe. It is home to a plethora of  wildlife and fauna.

Family Affair. Louise on her knees just taming down the lochan's bright blue edge. It was stitched with a chain stitch and then some short and split stitch then whipping the split stitch.  The grass was herringbone stitch.  Louise used small and longer Fly stitch on Morven to give a directional impression.  Louise's mother Zelia looks after her children whilst Louise goes to the group and is a very gifted embroiderer and quilter so she asked her to put a few stitches in her panel as she's been part of its story.

On her way to hand over the panel to Ella, Louise went to collect Daisy from her first induction days in Crossroads School.  She then had a 'show and tell' for the primary children and the teachers which was very interesting to see how much has changed. The children were glad they had shoes now and didn't have to pay for school with peat. And they thought that the fish seller would be very smelly.

Morven, the Flow Country and Flagstone dyke. And Sandy the sheep.