Stitch Along Project: Queen of the Night (Counted Cross-Stitch)

This year, on the 3rd June, Botanical gardens of Saint Petersburg, Russia, opened the doors of their conservatory around midnight and let eagerly awaiting people in. The wait was long. People checked Botanical Garden’s website every day for weeks. They wanted to witness this rare event which happens one night a year since 1824.

Inspired by the event I created a new cross-stitch pattern for the next Stitch Along project (SAL) which will start on August 1st. You are welcome to download the pattern for free and take part in our SAL. The pattern will be available to download till the end of July.

Selenicereus grandiflorus is a cactus native to Mexico and Central America. Once a year in June one day at the midnight beautiful flowers open. It is impossible to predict the exact day of the event even a day before. The earliest a prediction can be made is 5 hours before the flowers open.

There are two legends told about this unnoticeable plant. When all flowers in the world gathered together to prize the Queen of flowers, majestic Rose, nobody paid attention to an ugly spiny plant. But in the midnight it’s flower opened. The flower was sweet-scented and as shiny as Moon, and as big as a dinner plate. All plants agreed that that was the most beautiful flower, since the cactus is called the Queen of the Night.

Another legend tells the story about a beautiful queen who was loved by her people for her kindness. When an evil dragon invaded her kingdom, the dragon asked the people to bring a young girl each day so he could eat the girl for dinner. The queen sacrificed herself for the girls. She gave her beauty to the dragon in exchange for their lives. The dragon took her beauty and turned her into a cactus which resembles an ugly dragon. The Queen’s beautiful soul can be seen one night a year as a fragrant flower.

This plant is used in medicine to cure heart diseases. Selenicereus grandiflorus was described by Carl von Linne in 1753. It is easy to grow. Selenicereus requires full sun and moisture in Summer and does not tolerate temperature below 41 °F in winter.

Queen of the Night

Free Cross-Stitch PDF Pattern
157x140 stitches, 20 DMC colors

Download

The project start date is August 1st, 2016.

Project Details:
Black Aida 14 fabric.
Design Size (in stitches): 157w x 140h
20 DMC thread colors used

Discuss this project and post your progress pictures here!

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