WIP: Maibaum

I made some progress on my German maypole piece this week. Here is the first maypole, all complete. Click to see a larger version.

Like a lot of German patterns, this doesn't have any backstitching. It's a kind of primitive/native design, which I enjoy. This piece is half finished now -- there is one more maypole to stitch, and it's the same size as this one. It is easy stitching, and the little symbols on the pole are fun to do.

In case you have never seen a maypole like this, it is quite realistic. Every town throughout southern Germany (and much of Austria) has its own maypole (Maibaum) and all the traditions that go with it. The symbols on the pole historically represented the guilds present in a town.

Different regions' poles look different. Austrian poles are sometimes painted red and white (the colors of Austria). Some poles are simply stripped wood, not painted at all. Sometimes the very top of the tree is left on the pole, so it looks like there is a tiny pine tree sitting way up on top. But in Bavaria, maypoles are usually painted blue and white (the colors of the Bavarian flag). Along the edges of my fabric you'll see the blue and white diamonds of the Bavarian flag.

Click on the picture below to see Munich's maypole, one of the largest and most elaborate in Bavaria:



This piece will be finished as a bow, like the ones in this gallery, with the two maypoles on the long pieces hanging down. I have blue and white satin ribbon to finish it off. Germans love these bows featuring stitched sayings or pictures, and they frequently have different ones to display for different seasons. Ours will go on the wall along with some of our other mementos from when we lived in Bavaria.