Over two years, Rebecca McDrury painstakingly stitched a highly detailed recreation of an 1888 painting of Cleopatra by John William Waterhouse.
“I decided to do this picture because I had been such a huge fan of Cleopatra since I was a little girl,” Ms McDrury said.
Her fascination with the Egyptian ruler inspired her to study Latin at high school and eventually pursue classics at university.
“I always thought she was so smart and just really courageous and daring and cunning is the stuff that I loved most about her.”
She began the piece in July 2023 and completed it in August 2025. Working on 32-count linen, she estimated the artwork contained about 130,000 stitches.
“It is such a fine fabric that I only did half stitches rather than actual cross stitch,” she said.
Ms McDrury worked on the project for at least an hour every day, sometimes spending almost the whole weekend at it.
The hobby allowed the classics and law graduate to decompress from her daily life.
“It was just really grounding and kind of meditative.
“It was something that I could do to, like, decompress from the day and kind of space out but also feel like I’m being productive at the same time,” Ms McDrury said.
The endeavour enabled her to find a more rewarding pastime.
“I used to spend so much time playing video games and I just felt like I was wasting my life doing that.”
Doing the needlework felt more beneficial and enjoyable.
“It was like doing something but also doing nothing at the same time and that was so, so nice.”
After completing the piece, she had it professionally framed at The Framers Room.
“They had such a huge range.
“I think I took about an hour fussing over all of the frame options.”
She chose an ornate gold frame to reflect the 1888 origins of the painting alongside non-reflective glass to highlight her intricate work.
Looking at the finished project today, she remains amazed by the outcome.
“It is kind of hard for me to believe that I actually did all that.
“I just look at it and go, yep, cool,” she said.
John William Waterhouse painted the original artwork as one of 21 British artists commissioned by The Graphic magazine founder William Thomas to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee by creating a gallery of Shakespearean heroines.
