Raccoon in Pink & Gold Circles Penguin stands in for black cotton

stands in for black cotton adorned with a profusion of tiny glass beads

chosen to echo the silk velvet of the original

and the tradition continued with Nana giving me my first teacups when I was a little girl

and Nana all had large collections of mismatched teacups

teacup and saucer from the 1950s or 1960s

Raccoon in Pink & Gold Circles Penguin stands in for black cottonI couldnt call myself a Torontonian if I didnt have a raccoon in my collection. It was surprisingly difficult to find a historic illustration of a raccoon that looked right, until I found this delightful (if slightly guilty looking) specimen in the 1918 book Wild Animals of North America: Intimate Studies of Big and Little Creatures of the Mammal Kingdom. The raccoon is 4. 75 inches wide, stitched by hand on 5x7 inch 100% cotton watercolour paper,