Santa of the Forest

When I first did this Santa, I gave him an armful of toys. The toys and ribbons were beautiful, but sort of meaningless. When removing fur on his cape, I thought of replacing the toys with animals. The first animal I thought of was a dove of peace. Then I added a little bear, symbolizing Russia. The wolf represents countries that have violent governments and use this violence to survive. The gentle brown rabbit is caught in the middle but looking towards peace. The wise spotted owl sits near the head of man in hopes that he will find wisdom before it is too late. Santa's staff represents history, a guide for moving forward. The fabric of his robe became the forest and trees and stars. His colorful mittens represent the children of the world, extensions of the wise person. This design represents a gathering of nations towards world peace as well as respecting the environment.

Fabric
Stitched on 32 count Natural Linen (2 over 2) from Wichelt.

Stitch count
200 x 247

Design area
12 1/2" x 15 1/2"

Frame
Frame No. 645G from Larson-Juhl

DMC floss
310, 312, 318, 321, 356, 413, 414, 433, 434, 469, 498 (2), 501, 550, 552, 553, 612, 613, 645, 646, 647, 648, 676, 680, 754, 758, 760, 762, 814 (3), 822, 823, 844, 898, 926, 927, 928, 934 (2), 937, 938, 939, 975, 3031, 3032, 3328, 3371 (2), 3713, 3750, 3778, 3782, 3790, 3799, white (3) and metallic gold 284Z