A beautiful and arresting design of two confronted peacocks that abounds with ancient symbols of death, life, and resurrection: cypress trees and urns represented death in the antiquity whereas peacocks symbolized immortality and resurrection. The vibrant carnation and tulip border denote life and the eight-pointed stars in the peacock’s tails signify the “eighth day” which was a symbol of resurrection in Byzantium. Inspired by an embroidered border from a 19th century bed linen in the Ionian islands, this modern adaptation preserves the original bold colorway of bright blue, terra cotta red, and olive green.

Lovely as a framed textile or pillow cover.

Finished size (exclusive of hem): 10-1/4 x 17 inches

Stitch count: 133 x 217

Designed + Produced in Salem, Oregon
* Woman Owned Business

From helping beginners get started on their embroidery journey to assisting experienced stitchers find new and exciting designs to challenge their skills, Avlea Folk Embroidery offers beautiful, historically inspired patterns and kits for cross stitch and embroidery as well as stitching support from how to videos and photos to helpful info about caring for textiles. Krista West, founder and designer, was a specialty tailor to Greek Orthodox churches in Greece. This is where she discovered Greek folk embroidery. For over a decade, Krista has been dazzled and delighted by the vast array of traditional folk embroidery, much of which is inspired by ancient Byzantine and Roman art and is seen virtually everywhere, from grand museums to tiny chapels to the humblest of homes.