Saturday, August 25, 2007

A Passion Revisited


I've been doing some form of needlework since I was 10 years old. It started with knitting and progressed to crocheting, stamped cross stitched, needlepoint, crewel and finally a long stint with counted cross-stitch. When I found that, I felt that I found my niche (that is, until I discovered quilting!)


As I thought about the coming school year and the idea of having more time than in years prior, I got to thinking about my cross-stitching again. I've always said that someday I would pick it back up again. I think that day has come.




I love this picture of the Chicago skyline. I found the pattern in a shop and just had to have it. I've lived all my life within about 50 miles of the city, went to many Cubs games, visited museums and the lakefront. My teens now go to the city on the train with a group of friends and go shopping or to dinner to to visit friends in school there. Though I don't get there often, the sight of the skyline as we travel through on trips makes my heart beat a little faster, there is something about it that excites me. This picture measures 27 x 13 (without the mat) and right now doesn't have a place to hang, though I'm sure will again someday.


This next picture hangs in my dining room. It used to be in our family room, but then I painted the family room for my husband in camouflage colors. Our dining room has red walls and this fit right in. It measures 27 x 32 and took me two years to complete. I did work on other smaller things while working on this one. I finished it about 20 years ago, when our oldest was small.




In thinking about cross-stitching again, I remembered the wonderful frame I'd bought. We pulled it out of our crawlspace yesterday and it even had a new project mounted on the roller bars. The threads were all pulled and the pattern still on the frame. I'm ready to roll!

While finishing the ex-frame quilt is my first priority for the next few days, I'm looking forward to adding a bit of cross-stitch to my weeks. While I probably won't do it daily, as I do quilting, a little bit each week will eventually get something finished...and as the weather sours and the sun sets earlier, I like the idea of choices as to how I'm spending my time.

Today we have a rather busy day, I'm going to visit my friend's grandma for the last time (they come home tomorrow) then I have to get ready for an anniversary party. I hope to squeeze in a bit of quilting before I leave for friend's house and after the party (we don't plan to stay too late, we have church and a funeral tomorrow, so another busy day.)

I'm longing for Monday...I told my kids after 10 days of running multiple times every day, I'm staying home all day on Monday. If I knew no one would come to our door I'd even take a jammie day...but I've learned my lesson on those!

Happy stitching!

3 comments:

~Bren~ said...

That is so cool to see your cross stitch again. I remember you making those and I think you taught me to do counted cross stitch while you were working on one of the large projects. I remember you doing them both...was the chicago skyline the first one or the cola building? What fun to pick it up again. What is the project that was on the frame.

Andrea said...

Lovely pictures. I have done some cross-stitching in the past but not for a while now. Funny how we get the urge to go back to something. I love the one of the rocking chair.

Solstitches said...

As an avid cross stitcher myself I'm glad you've decided not to give it up completely. It's nice to be able to pick and choose what to work on.
Your finished pieces are wonderful and oh, that floor stand is just fabulous!
I'm curious to know what the new cross stitch project will be :)
Margaret