Coming South Cross Stitch Pattern

Description

Coming South cross stitch pattern was inspired by the 1886 oil painting by Australian artist Tom Roberts. It was painted mostly from memory and a series of shipboard drawings that the artist sketched while he returning to Australia. Tom Roberts spent  4 years in England and studying at the Royal Academy.

The Project

I won’t kid you. This is a large, full coverage cross stitch and I’ve rated the project Challenging PLUS. You’ll need 141 different DMC colours and many of them are whites, pale neutrals and greys to recreate that cloudy sky behind the ship’s funnels and mast. I think you’ll appreciate the fine detail I’ve captured in the project including the facial expressions and garments of the passengers, ships rigging, and artist insignia (bottom right).

The completed project measures 63.5cm x 82.4cm (300 x 454 grid size) when stitched on 14-count Aida cloth. It has 158,900 cross stitches.

Due to the size and complexity of this pattern, I recommend using Pattern Keeper App to manage the project. Look for the extra PK chart that I have included in your download pack.

The Painting

Coming South is owned by the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia) and is usually on display among the late 19th century paintings. Here are a few notes about the painting from the NGV.

“Deck scenes such as this, with their complex arrangements of masts, rigging and funnels provided wonderful compositional opportunities for artists, as well as the chance for psychological observation, as seen here in the body language and facial expressions of the passengers. Coming South is also a celebration of the migrant experience, and as such is Roberts’s first exploration of one of the great themes of Australian life.”

The Artist

Tom Roberts is one of Australia’s most well-known painters (even though he was actually born in England). Famous for his paintings of shearing sheds, ship crossings, bushlands, and bushrangers, his iconic paintings have become part of Australian culture. I have lots more replicas of his beautiful artworks coming to the store.