Garden District: Chartreuse Chateau #1 - Dirty Annie's - Cross Stitch Pattern

This is the first in a series of 6 houses inspired by the shotgun houses found throughout New Orleans. Stitch each house separately or all together as. A QR code is provided on the chart to get a free downloadable PDF of house placement as shown in the model.

We stitched them on 32ct "Pioneer Trail" linen from Mountain Aire using threads from DMC, Weeks Dye Works, and Classic Colorworks

Structures of this type originated in West Africa, were then introduced to Haiti, and eventually made their way to New Orleans through Haitian and West African refugees, immigrants, and slaves.

Shotgun homes are characteristically long, narrow dwellings that are a single room wide and a few rooms deep. Popular folklore says that the homes’ design allows a shotgun to fire a bullet through the open front door, straight through each room and out the back door unscathed.

The oldest shotgun houses lack hallways, requiring inhabitants to walk through each room to traverse the home from front to back. The windows and doors at either end, combined with high ceilings, allow for efficient ventilation and airflow in such a hot and humid climate. A shotgun house’s foundation is raised off the ground, which allows for airflow below the home and discourages termites and other pests from setting up shop. The home’s foundation also protects against flooding and suits the softer earth below.