As for the cross stitching, I have a giant container of projects waiting to be done. I'm in the midst of a sampler for Mr. Wonderful and our future library, and it's 3/4 of the way finished. Now I'm getting antsy to line up the next project. I've been doing this stuff since 1994 when a colleague at work brought in a kit and asked if anyone was interested in trying it. I had seen my mom, grandmother and aunt all do needlework my whole life, so I said I would. And I was hooked. I had done some stamped cross stitch when I was little (I still remember the pattern--it had a train on it), but didn't stick with it.
Fast forward to now, and I've developed a liking for certain designers, like Bent Creek, Prairie Schooler, Lizzie Kate, patterns and threads. Most of the stuff I've stitched is given away as gifts, and I love to see the reaction when someone sees the finished product.
Current WIP (work in progress) is the "Old books" sampler, not the white bear. Given Mr. Wonderful's collection of old books, it's apropos....
I also love to find stitchery shops--I can spend hours browsing and contemplating what should be added to the project box. When Mr. W and I went to Vermont last weekend, we went with the main objective of going to a car show. He always tells me that he'll go to one of my stitchery shops since I'm willing to go look at old cars with him (the cars can be pretty interesting). Turns out that there aren't too many shops left in Vermont, but there was one in Sunderland, right near Manchester--the Battenkill Stitchery Shop. Woo hoo! It was a great place, chock full of needlepoint and materials. Not as much x-stitch, but enough to keep me happy. I had a good conversation with the owner, and she was telling me how the business of selling stitching materials was changing. She said half her shop used to be devoted to x-stitch, and now it was about a 1/4. Most of the decline was due to internet retailers, and the fact that people just aren't continuing with needlework as a hobby. Part of this conversation came up from my telling her that my favorite store in Meredith NH, Hunters Needlework, was closed this year--so much for my annual pilgrimage--and that another big needlework store in neighboring Center Harbor was phasing out its x-stitch section. There just aren't many shops left selling charts and materials in New England. Kits are ok sometimes, but it's not the same. The big chain craft stores don't carry the really cool independent designers. I like to be able to see the chart and the image of the finished work so I know whether or not I can handle it--I bought a kit once for my mom that had a sampler of Texas (she was born there), and I never even started it. Once I took it out of the package, it was way more difficult than it looked. I think it's still in the project box.
As for Mr. W, he didn't actually come in the shop with me. He spotted a 60s vintage car on the side of the road not far from the shop and went off to check it out.
My other favorite store was in Dublin, and that closed a few years ago. Mom and I made it a point to stop in every time we went over since they had a great selection of needlepoint that she liked, and I could get some designs I couldn't find in the US.
Inside of Yankee Cross Stitch in N. Hampton, NH on route 1. Love that place too! Road trip anyone?
It saddens me to think that I might not be able to find brick and mortar shops much longer and will have to rely solely on the internet. The great thing about the shop in Meredith was that the women who owned it knew so much about their products, and they could give great advice and suggestions about how to change colors, or what material to use. It doesn't help that as the older generation dies, there is no younger generation to step in. I vividly remember mom in the summer with the ladies from our community sitting on the beach teaching each other how to crochet or knit or do needlepoint. Bargello was all the rage one year. Now, if I go up and sit on the beach, I'm the only one with my bag of stuff to stitch.
I guess the conversation with the woman in Vermont scared me a little to think that this type of crafting might be disappearing gradually. I love the way I can see a piece work up and I love the finished product. I love the way I can take a design and tweak it the way I want. I love being able to disconnect for a short amount of time and have something to show for my efforts.
My goal is to finish the old books sampler, and start on a heart design for Sis and the NH house. She has also "commissioned" a piece (ooh--sounds so important when you put it like that) for me to create that says "La Biblioteca", or The Library, for the new library/office/den in NH. We have to sit down and draw it out, but I think she has a vision in mind. I'm also oogling a giant design by Bent Creek called the Big Zipper--one is round, one is square. I like them both, but I want to see what the charts and materials look like before I make the investment....Hunter's would have carried both of them. Now I have to go online....
Notice I didn't really mention my thyroid once in here? :)
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