I always new that one of my Grandmother's was very talented with a needle and thread, but I didn't know that my other Grandmother also had a hidden talent. Last night, my mom told me that her mother enjoyed embroidery a lot, but never had the time or money to work on it. I was always told that she didn't like sewing at all, so, I figured that included every form of needlework. What a surprise! Hidden away in her closet was a stamped linen tablecloth that my mom passed on to me.
This is just one corner of the tablecloth and you can see the price tag is still attached. My mom thinks she probably bought it in the discount basement at Eatons. She paid a whole $1.39 for it. It is 36"x36" and the linen is really heavy. Nothing at all like today's linen. There wasn't a pattern, so, I'll have to try my hand at figuring out a colour scheme for this. It could be fun or frustrating lol!
Something else she found hidden away was something I think I actually worked on as a kid. It looks kind of familiar anyways, and since the Xs in that little finished patch don't all go the right way, I'm assuming I did it lol.
It is a small table runner. Can you believe all of the threads and the pattern were still with it in the terribly tattered paper bag! I haven't worked on stamped cross stitch in a very long time, but it might be fun for a change.
Next up is today's stitching progress on my canvas piece.
It has been terribly hot and humid the last couple of days, and I haven't felt like stitching very much. I did manage to pick up my needle for an hour or two today and this is what became of it. The center part definitely stitches up much more quickly than the outside border. With any luck, I'll have this finished within the next couple of weeks.
In other news, I've signed up for a Victoria Sampler SAL at the Stitchers' Village for the month of October. I haven't picked out a pattern just yet, and I guess I should get on it since October is only a week away!
And finally, I don't discuss my work in very much detail on here, but I thought I'd share a little something with you. I'm taking on a new "acting" role and start training tomorrow. If all goes well and the position gets approved by upper management, the position will become permanent at a later date. The transition from union to management is not the easiest of feats in my place of work and there's a lot of red-tape to get through before that ever happens, but I'll be crossing my fingers and toes that this becomes long term! Overall, I'm looking forward to the change. If it doesn't become permanent, I'll enjoy the change for as long as it lasts. And the bonus (at least in my opinion) is that I get to continue working a condensed work week with a mixture of days and overnights. I may be crazy, but I love this schedule. Hmmm, maybe this schedule is making me crazy haha! ;o)
That's all for now folks! Have a great week!
Karen
4 comments:
Don't you love family surprises like that! Love your progress and I'm confident you'll select an awesome colour theme!
What a wonderful discovery! I've never worked stamped pieces either, but have come across some of the older ones in thrift stores at times, and the quality of the fabric is indeed nothing like what we have today. And it's from Eatons, too, so you know it's quality :) I miss their stores; even when they became The Bay they used to have a lot of neat imports and odd things amongst the more typical clothing and such. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun figuring out a colourway! And that tablerunner is going to be gorgeous, especially if you decide to stitch it with the original threads. I just hope you'll have enough!
I've seen canvas work on other Stitchy Blogs, but am not brave enough to try it myself, so I commend you for trying something new! I love the way that it looks like a little minature quilt :) And the colours are so lovelily Autumnal!
The VS SAL sounds interesting, too, and I really hope that your new position works out for you :) As long as you enjoy the shifts, and it fits in with your lifestyle, there's nothing crazy about it, and you have the added advantage of being a more valuable employee for taking the times that everyone else can't deal with :) One of my friends does something similiar, and she loves the overtime, LOL!
What a neat discovery! My mom used to have some stamped pieces like this. I think they were pillow covers. I tried it once as a girl but wasn't all that fond of the stamped work.
I love your canvaswork! It's such a lovely fall design and you're coming along so well with it. I admire you for branching out to something new. I'm a bit of a chicken myself!
What a wonderful treasure your grandmother left behind. How about going monochromatic? Much easier!
Wow your needlework piece is stunning. I love fall colours!
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