I cannot count my day complete
'Til needle, thread and fabric meet.
~Author Unknown

Sharing a common thread with those who love the art of hand embroidery

Thursday, November 3, 2016

I was going to wait to post about this piece...............

until I actually had it finished.................

finished...............
now there is a word.......I really need to work on
but as most of you can see........and already know............counted cross stitch
is not something that can be " finished" quickly.

I almost told my friend........NO......when she brought it, with the frame, chart , and floss
for me to finish..............even as she told me........." to take my time if it took 3 years" and she 
did offer to pay..........

I usually do not do embroidery pieces like these .......for friends.........or for pay from friends......
it would be too expensive..........

I did try to teach her how to cross stitch  to finish this weeks before .............
but again..........we all know that cross stitch can be intimidating to someone who is just learning how.

But there is a story to this piece........and I feel it must be finished and finished now.......


A lady with only 1 hand..........that is right...........1 hand.........started embroidering this piece to one day give it to her daughter. She had done other pieces before........completed them .......and gave them to her other daughters............
This  lady was the mother of my friend.........and this was going to be hers........until her mother lost her battle to cancer.

So for the past couple of weeks, I have worked on this.........and now every day and every night, I have worked on it..........and it is almost.................finished

I want my friend's mother's stitches to still be remembered when my friend looks at this piece........
so I have outlined her mother's stitches in a different color floss ........and I will add her mother's name and date to that portion............
and I will not accept any payment.

My friend was close to her mother .......and misses her ..........
 I hope this piece will bring her a little cheer when she looks at it
to know that her mother picked such a pretty picture to cross stitch for her.
Hopefully.............I am aiming at 2 more weeks to have this piece done...........

how about you?  do you find cross stitch intimidating or very time consuming?
How many pieces have you created?
I would love to hear!

14 comments:

Sherri Farley said...

Wonderful story and you are awesome for taking it on!! It's got amazing colors and will be so stunning when finished.

Sandra said...

Gods Blessings to all of you. You are so kind to finish this project for your friend. And what a sweet dear reminder she will have of her mother. Cross stitch is not a project that can get done fast. And it is a lot for you to take on; especially when I know you must have other projects laying in waiting. I am sure she will be very thankful. Please share a picture when you have it completed. Cancer has touched the lives of so many families. I pray that someday they will have a cure.

mamasmercantile said...

How wonderful, that brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. You really are such a good friend.

Bev said...

What a wonderful thing for you to do!!!... I cross stitch the grands Christmas ornaments... I do NOT!! like doing it...but have been for 22 years... I quit when they graduation from High School... 3 grands have graduation...and now I'll lose one every year...so the amount is getting less... BUT this year I had a another grand....don't know if I will make it until her graduation:)

Marianne said...

Kathleen, that is an amazingly lovely story!! Your friend will love it, and appreciate it more than she can say, I'm sure. Your ideas for the piece are wonderful and truly spiritually inspired. You are so creative, I am not surprised heaven picked you for this project. Please PLEASE, post it when it is complete. I am excited to see it.

Blessings, my dear one,

Marianne xox

Karen said...

I loved this story, Kathleen, and it is so like you to do something like this. I'm sure you will be making your friend so happy. To answer your question, I don't think cross stitch is intimidating, but it certainly is time consuming. Embroidery is much faster but I still love them both!

janice15 said...

How wonderful that you will finish this piece for her... I'm sure it will mean the world to her.. I hope you are well I know its been a while since I have visit your page love the new look.. Have a lovely evening Kathleen and may God bless you with love Janice

lil red hen said...

You are so sweet to finish this for your friend! I used to do cross stitch, but I don't think my eyes would allow it now, so I just embroider simple designs.

Hindustanka said...

The cross stitch looks very cheerful and warm... I am glad you would help a person by finishing it off. It would mean so much to her!
I have never done big cross stitch projects so I rather enjoyed what I did so far and didn't feel the pressure of needing to finish it -- all was done either for my family or for myself, just pictures which I liked. :))

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Terry recently lost his father so I can relate to this story and your desire to complete this piece for your friend. Sometimes it's not about money. Sometimes you receive payment in intangibles which are much more valuable than a few dollars. I believe in Karma so I know that you are attracting good deeds in this gratifying effort.

Then, I must also mention that I find the black background of the stitching daunting!! Perhaps it's the cataract that I am growing but certainly the dark fabric makes this project more difficult for a beginner in learning this craft.
xx, Carol

Debra said...

Oh what a beautiful story-your kind heart shows in the stitching...this makes me cry...

Gina E. said...

That is a lovely tale, Kathleen, and I agree with everyone else here, you are very kind and generous to finish the cross stitch project for your friend. I used to love doing cross stitch - in fact I still do, but I think I burned myself out because once I discovered patchwork and quilting, and how fast it is to finish something! cross stitch got left behind :-( I have done several cross stitch commissions in past years - two for the Embroiderer's Guild which I was paid for, and a couple for friends which I was happy to do for nothing. I don't like doing big XS projects, as they do take a very long time, especially when you have other things in your life that must be done before craft projects ;-)

letslearnembroidery said...

I love cross stitch but lack of embroidery thread in my area made me stop doing it.What a beautiful story!

A Colorful World said...

This is a labor of love! What a wonderful thing to do, to complete this for your friend as a tribute to her mother. It's going to be beautiful, too! Yes, I find cross-stitch pretty time-consuming. On the other hand, I haven't done any in a number of years and wonder if my eyesight and arthritis would make it difficult to start again. I found crochet difficult when I tried to go back to it.