Ooohhh...orange blossoms! They always remind me of growing up in Orange County, California. Back in the day, before "progress" and freeways, the area was known for its abundant citrus groves. In fact, our home was surrounded by them and the fragrance in the spring was beyond amazing. That intoxicating perfume would permeate the air for weeks at a time. Sadly though, the orange trees were all bulldozed down in the 1970's and replaced by huge concrete industrial buildings which still surround that old farm house today. There's a children's book, The Little House, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton in 1942, that I think tells the story perfectly. But I digress...
Orange blossoms also perfume the air in Florida, where the climate contributes to a plethora of vegetation. It was said to be named by the explorer Ponce de Leon in 1512, "La Florida", which is Spanish for flowery, as it was at the time covered with them. When it came time to declare a state flower however, there were several choices in the running. The fragrant gardenia and the delicate camellia among them. But the orange blossom (citrus sinensis) was the favorite and was designated by Concurrent Resolution May 5, 1909 Legislature. The flowers are white, but I used a pale yellow to help define them, and add a bit more color to the block, since white does not show up well on a white background. Satin stitching, rather than using an outline stitch, also gives them a little more "presence".COLORS: petals--cream #3823; centers--pale yellow #4080; leaves/stems--lime green #704; letters--smoke gray #645.
I'll be back next week with a low-sugar jam recipe that I think you'll really love.
In the meantime. . . Stitch ON!
