Tree of Life – 18cm high x 17½cm wide / 20½cm high x 20cm wide

The Tree of Life is an ancient motif occurring in many different cultures; for me it has always been connected with the description of the new Jerusalem in the book of Revelation (the very last bit of the Bible). It is why I originally chose to surround the design with words from that book, "And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations". The alternative text, "Wisdom is a tree of life for those who take hold of her", comes from the book of Proverbs. Whatever tradition you feel part of, I hope the idea of a tree representing life, growth, health and wisdom will appeal to you.

Although at first glance it seems like there are two versions of the tree, this is not strictly speaking true; with two or three options for every leaf, for the trunk, the grass and the water, and for the various creatures which populate the design, this is potentially a veritable forest in which no two trees are alike!

So make this tree your own: choose which size you'd like, decide whether to add one of the two sets of words, pick your materials (there are plenty of suggestions in the chart pack), look through the more than 40 available stitches to see which ones you want to use, incorporate a bird or a caterpillar or both, butterflies and bees in any number you like – this is your tree, and only you know what it will look like.

The Tree of Life comes with access to the blog that was written to accompany it when it first came out as a Stitch-Along; the blog contains detailed stitch descriptions with photographs as well as advice and information about speciality threads.

The stitched models use Heathway Milano crewel wool, seed beads and sequins for the large version, and Silk Mill stranded silk with goldwork materials for the small version.

See these designs framed as a pair in the Gallery.

You can see other stitchers' interpretations of this design in the Tree of Life SAL Gallery.

Please note that our chart packs are digital and will be provided in PDF format. Because of the large amount of information included, the Tree of Life chart pack consists of three separate packs (Instructions, Stitches and Patterns) for which you will be sent download links.