While so many people are finding ways to amuse themselves, I’m mostly doing what I’ve always done - sewing. Fortunately, I have my Opus to work on. No matter how long we’re shut inside, this will take longer. I’m currently working on the border, avoiding the question of how to finish the globe (the one Christ is holding in the inset, below).

I sew, and I research. Yes, Apocalypse 2020 (the horsemen at the bus stop) is fully researched and designed. No more Death and Famine! But while I was researching them, I came across the Beatus Manuscripts, which have an intriguing style of illustration:

But even better, the Beatus Manuscripts had an ancient map:

Which got me back to investigating old maps. Yes, I’ve done lots of work on maps before, but now, with all this uninterrupted time, I’m trying to go a little deeper.

(Below) Here’s some of my earlier efforts, from my series of 6” tiles:

(Above) I was inspired by this ancient clay map (left) to create my own clay map (right). I copied the symbols (see insert) from Google maps a few years back, and had them made into rubber stamps. By pressing the stamps into the clay, I mixed the ancient and the modern.

(Above) The Mapquest digital image layer is being removed to reveal an ancient mosaic map of Jerusalem. Just images printed on cloth and stitched down.

Chester England, is a city that has maps going back hundreds of years. Here I’ve stitched colored images from Chester’s Medieval history onto a more recent map. Then I couch-stitched white cord to show the new roadway cutting right through the old city.

(Above) On the left, we have Gervase of Ebstorf's world map, drawn in Germany in the 13th century. The Ebstorf Map is based on the medieval T and O model, with Jerusalem at the center of the world. It is decorated with illustrations from Biblical stories for each part of the world. ( Information from https://allthatsinteresting.com/ancient-world-maps )

All I did was print out the map on cloth and sew on purple Google Map key images - all those little icons showing where to get food, lodging and information. Which was a clever trick, but doesn’t do anything to explain the Ebstorf map, or why it’s important.

So starting next week, you’ll get to see all the new information that I’ve gathered on maps. Either you’ll be delighted, or viewers will unsubscribe in droves…..