Two new stitching card patterns have been added to the Stitching Cards website. Both card designs feature pieces from a chess set. The first has the king and queen; the second has the bishop, knight, rook and pawn chess pieces. Each pattern can be stitched as two separate bookmarks or one double-sided bookmark.
These are great to give a book reading chess enthusiast. They could also be used as a greetings cards for birthdays and to send messages such as congratulations.
The pattern size is 152 mm x 104 mm (6 x 4½ inches). The bookmark size is 152 mm x 52 mm (6 x 2¼ inches).
The bookmark patterns can be found on the following web pages:
www.stitchingcards.com/product.php/435/
www.stitchingcards.com/product.php/436/
The chess stitching patterns are inspired by the Staunton chess set, a design that is currently recognized as the official standard for tournament chess pieces.
The Staunton chess set was named after Howard Staunton, the chess player and writer who was generally considered the strongest player in the world from 1843 to 1851. It was first released in 1849 by the purveyors of fine games, John Jaques of London. The ebony and boxwood sets were weighted with lead to provide added stability and the underside of each piece was covered with felt. This afforded the players the illusion that the chessmen were floating across the board.
For over a century and a half, the Staunton chess set has proved extremely popular and is likely to remain that way in future. The design is successful because of its well-balanced and easily recognised pieces.