"It takes ages to finish a quilt you're not working on!"

Saturday, June 06, 2009

A very old embroidered picture.

On my one day a month as a volunteer Gallery hostess at the Guild, I spend the day with two delightful ladies. I hesitate to give their names here, as I don't know if they want to be made 'public' on blogs like this, so I shall just refer to them as M and W. M. does Library duty. She works on updating information on the Guild computer records for the Library, and checks books etc. in and out as members drop in to borrow and return items. We share a common interest in cross stitch, and so we often have stuff to show each other.
W. has been a Guild member almost since it began, and has a wealth of knowledge about the Guild, the members, the Collection, the library; in fact just about anything relating to textiles. She runs educational courses now and then, and participates in others, as well as organising all kinds of other events relating to the Guild and other embroidery groups. I said to M. last week that we are both very lucky to be on duty on the same day as W. because we often pick her brain about things we need to know, and she is always willing to help. Like me, W. collects aprons and other vintage embroidery, and when she culls her collection, she often brings things into me to ask if I would like to have them. One such item is this old embroidered picture, which W. said was given to her as part of a deceased estate or some other collection of embroidered items.
I have several pieces like this in my collection, but none of them framed. My friend LeeAnn in Malmsbury once found a set of unstitched linens in this style, in the opshop where she works, and gave them to me, saying "You WILL embroider them one day, won't you Gina?" Of course I will! And pigs might fly backwards too...But when I saw this one in the frame, my fingers just itched to get those linens out and start working on them. They would be so easy - just back stitch and straight stitch. Child's play really. So which lifetime will I schedule it in to?

3 comments:

loulee said...

If they are anything like this one, they would be straight to the top of my list.

Sharon said...

Mine too - love to see them G next time we get together...

Pear tree cottage! said...

Gina, I will send you the cottons.............(smiles) If I thought that would help.

Thank you Gina for the lovely gift. It arrived the day before the 150th and was a moment for me to simply sit and take a moment for myself. purfect timing my friend I needed to remember life is sometimes just about me and not all those others.

Lee-ann