hand made

I am quite sure you are well aware of the poem that I "sort of stole the idea" for my blog title. It is called Saturday's child poem. I am thinking maybe Sunday's Child will share Treats on Tuesdays! just a thought....

Saturdays child poem
AKA Mondays child

Mondays child is fair of face,
Tuesdays child is full of grace,
Wednesdays child is full of woe,
Thursdays child has far to go,
Fridays child is loving and giving,
Saturdays child works hard for his living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

I have embroidered that on many a dish towels. I started doing embroidery the summer when I turned 11. My grandmother took me to the dime store in Ferndale, Washington and I got to choose a stamped blank piece of fabric with a saying. It said, East West Home is Best.

My grandma had a sewing box full of all tangled embroidery floss. I chose lots of colors. Some letters are different, some words are pink, a couple are green. I loved the red. I used the red for a couple flowers.

Not very often do people ask about my stitchery. Out of the blue on Saturday I was asked about some of my samplers. Some have taken over 80 hours to complete. I use mainly linen now. Irish linen is my favorite. I have made many reproductions and then hanging beside those are more contemporary samplers. All make me really happy.

I am currently working on a piece of red work as a Christmas gift. It will be a pillow. As the person I am making it for collects snowmen, it has a big happy snowman front and center. I am backing it with snowman fabric and three black buttons to close it. Sewing here and there it is coming along nicely. Making it brings a smile to my face every single time I pick it up.

I miss browsing through cross stitch shops. I used to love to meander through real fabric stores with bolt after bolt of fabric to feel and think about.

Oh sure, I buy my share of patterns on line and fabric too. Just not the same.

I wish I could convince women my age as well as the younger generation just how much happiness it brings me to create something with my hands. There is so much talk about depression and feeling blue. In the evenings I sit under a full spectrum light and stitch away. I love planning the project. I love beginning and all through watching it come to life. I pretty much love to finish them off. All except paying to have them framed, yikes, that is a pricey date. I love giving them as gifts to people who truly understand & value the time and love that it took to make them. It brings pure joy and happiness sitting there all by myself to look at some of the pieces. Oh, and I love to visit with others who create things as well.

I would love to talk hand stitchery with anyone. I would love to have show and tell. This form of art is at times breathtaking and getting to share and view such pieces is a pleasure.

Selfishly, maybe when I am gone, my pieces will be passed on and I will be remembered.

Heart and Hand shall never part, when this you see, Remember Me.