I love coffee. I used to put a little sugar in my coffee, along with half and half, but after I stopped drinking soda eight-ish years ago, sweet beverages tasted terrible. I still take the half and half, but no sugar. And coffee has never tasted better.
Over the summer, I was talking with one of my friends about all the changes to our work lives since we'd all moved to remote working in March. One of the things we talked about was morning rituals, specifically making coffee in the office. We used that time to catch up or chat about whatever we had going on that day. We now "have" coffee twice a week over Zoom. It's a small thing, but it keeps us connected and keeps some semblance of normal in an otherwise chaotic universe. Rituals are important, and I feel like I have to work extra hard to protect them these days.
When I moved into my first apartment by myself, I started buying Fiesta Ware. My aunt collects Fiesta Ware; she has some of the older versions made with lead paint (which are just for show) and my parents started buying it too. I love how colorful it is, and how the simple design can move from casual to elegant with just a few changes. I like to mix and match the colors when I set the table; it's more festive. My original sets had the cups and saucers as part of the setting. On Sundays, I would make a nice breakfast for myself and set up my cup and saucer, pitcher of cream, and my crossword puzzle and enjoy my morning coffee. It was about savoring the coffee and enjoying a time free of to-do lists and errands and work. Eventually, my cups and saucers were replaced with Fiesta mugs (and other mugs), but I try hard to keep my Sundays focused more on enjoying my coffee than throwing it in a mug and drinking it on my way to wherever I have to be.
Today's piece was inspired by my Fiesta cups and saucers. I reorganized my glassware over the holidays and found three cups in the back of the cupboard. I used the pale yellow one this morning. The colors I selected for today's piece are based on my two favorite Fiesta colors: marigold and rose. I think rose is retired color now. Also, there's a new color called butterscotch. I think I need something in butterscotch to add to my collection.
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| These were the cups I found when I reorganized. |
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| I sketched the cup and saucer last week, but didn't use it right away. I'm not the best drawer, so I'm proud of the final result. I also played around with the idea of using the Fiesta mug instead, but I like the cup and saucer better. |
Details:
Stitches: back stitch, stem stitch. Originally, I was planning to use a satin stitch for the coffee. After doing the outline of the cup, I thought a satin stitch would look too heavy even if I used less strands. I used a longer back stitch, using it as a filler stitch. I love using back stitch to fill larger spaces; this will definitely appear in future pieces.
Thread palette: DMC 947, 415 (6 strands), DMC 300 (3 strands), Sublime Stitching 802 (6 strands - this one's called Lip Gloss)
Inspiration: Fiestaware cups and saucers
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