My inspiration is Edward Lear’s nonsense poetry which I loved as a child and which has to be included in my choice of children’s literature. 

In particular I chose the Quangle Wangle’s Hat because so many of his other characters appear on his enormous beaver hat ( a hundred and two feet wide) under which he sat with his face hidden, just his arms and legs are visible. 

Another reason for my choice was that he sat on top of a Crumpety Tree which left me free to create yet another tree to complete my series of children’s stories with trees. In the close up the there is the Pobble who has no toes, the Dong with the luminous nose the blue baboon who played the flute to name but a few, the drawings are as those of Edward Lear and are machine embroidered on to the felt-like fabric of the hat which is adorned with ribbons and bibbons and bits of lace. It is true flight of fancy.

I have used an old table napkin which I had thought to be linen but it didn’t take the dye as well as it should so it must be a mix and I added inktense to deepen the landscape colour. The whole is closely hand quilted with the first four lines of the poem machine stitched in the border. 

“On top of the Crumpety tree

The Quangle Wangle sat,

But his face you could not see,

On account of his Beaver Hat.”