Scream Constantly - An Ode to Our Cicada Overlords

The cicadas are coming. Brood X, the 17-year cicadas, will begin emerging from underground any day now. Once the ground temperature reaches a consistent 64 degrees, billions of cicadas will emerge, molt one last time, eat, mate, lay eggs, and then die. I live right in the middle of Brood X territory, so I'm counting down the days until the air is filled with the incessant sound of cicadas...screaming.

My friend, Emily, shared a meme a few weeks back that got me thinking about my cicada piece. I was planning one before she posted the meme, but once she did, everything came together. Here's what she shared:

Last year, I started my first embroidery series, Screams. There were originally five, based on the best description of 2020, and 2021 if I'm honest, "Please scream inside your heart." I made the first five for myself and four of my friends. Last September, I launched the "Be a Good Citizen Project," and gave away versions of three of the original designs. In January, I added a sixth Scream to the series. It's the only one not named for anyone, but was much needed at the time. Today's piece is the seventh Scream, Scream Constantly (Emily). I think I may design three more for a full series of ten. 

When I started researching how to draw cicadas, I found an entire world of very talented and creative people who make beautifully rendered and detailed cicadas in all sorts of media (highly recommend you look up cicadas and art - it's fun). Obviously, that is not me, so I also looked up "how to draw cicadas for kids," and found this tutorial. I made some changes, but this is way more my speed. The Brood X cicadas are orange in color, so I've opted to use two shades of the DMC Etoile threads to create my cicada. What's great about this particular version of a cicada? It's wings are heart-shaped, so it fits perfectly within my larger series. 

I'm not thrilled about the impending cicada apocalypse. I already have a very noisy nighttime neighborhood between the foxes (also screamers), frogs (a little later in the summer), and a bird that doesn't seem to understand the sun has gone down and it should go to bed. However, I sort of love the fact that 2021 is the 17-year cicada year. It's nature's way of reminding us that we are merely visitors here, and we need to take better care of this world if we want to be allowed to remain. My hope is this offering to our cicada overlords will mean I get a little break at night. I'm not holding my breath, but a girl can dream. 

Thank you, Emily for the inspiration for today's piece and a new Scream! I promise to make you a version of your namesake Scream once I finish the 365 project. If anyone would like one of the Be a Good Citizen Project Screams, I have nine left. Send me a message via the comments or get in touch with me directly if you know me in real life (or on another social media platform). 

Details:
Stitches: back stitch, whipped back stitch, satin stitch
Thread palette: DMC C900, C740, C310 (all 3 strands)