Stitch a nostalgic trip down to the seaside

Memories of my childhood holidays- that's what inspired this design,”says Jill, who describes her work asan opportunity to “paint with thread.” ManyNeedlecraft readers will be familiar with Jill'sdesigns, which often capture scenes from hertravels. Most are based on her adventuresabroad, especially the architecture andlandscapes of Tuscany and Provence - Jill'sA dream of Venice design was featured in theSeptember issue of Needlecraft last year. This time, however, Jill wanted to create somethingcloser to home with a touch of nostalgia.“I used to spend every summer by thesea in Dorset,” she explains. “All my mum'sfamily lived there. They earned their livingfrom the beach at Sandsfoot Cove, which issandwiched neatly between Chesil Beach andWeymouth Harbour. It's a sandy cove with awonderful half-moon of sand, and to me as achild it was absolute paradise,” she enthuses. Childhood holidays were a hive of activity,and the liveliness of her design evokes this.“My uncles ran motorboat trips in the harbourand I was allowed to steer the boats that tookthe tourists out. They used to build sailingdinghies too, and I would sail in them.“One of my uncles would go out and haullobster pots in - they were always on the go. My family also ran an ice-cream shop thatsold everything you could think of!“This was a lovely project for me todo, and although the design is of a harbourand not the cove, it captures my childhoodmemories of the harbours around Weymouthand Portland. For once, I wanted to createsomething based on my travels at home.”