Goodbye, old thing

I am cleaning up my work table, 15 minutes at a time, and trying to be ruthless in getting rid of what doesn't belong and isn't needed. This object used to hang on the red, textured wall of the bathroom - but the wall is now smooth and white, so I've said goodbye.

It's important to me because it marks the start of "everything". It was made in 199...2? in my first one-day-a-week textiles course at City Lit. The theme of the course was "medieval" --- and I loved, loved, loved it. In the first class we chose a postcard and drew details from it and used tissue paper to build it up into something more 3D. I chose this "rather obscure" painting in the National Gallery

taking the design from the decorative band in the middle. In the lower right panel, St Margaret is being swallowed by the dragon and is bursting forth from its belly, unhurt. She is the patron saint of expectant mothers, women in childbirth, and nurses.