Monday, April 4, 2016

If You Give a Girl a Cross Stitch . . .

 Last fall a friend came be-bopping through the church door carrying a hefty bag full of something and plopped it on a nearby table in the narthex. It turned some heads. Gosh, what could this be? A few of us gathered as she pulled piece after piece after piece of cross stitch samplers from the bag. 

“These are from Jane,” friend said. “She was going to burn them, but thought maybe some of us would have a use for them and give a small donation to the church.”

Over the course of twenty years or so Jane’s father-in-law had sat patiently and created lovely works of art with needle and thread. Burn them? Heaven forbid! You should have seen these things. There were at least fifty and guess who leaned in and got her hands into them? No dummy here. It was so hard not to be greedy but I only took four and forked over my donation.  

So, yesterday, I finally got around to framing one of them. I know, I know. it’s April already but– there were the holidays, grand kids, shopping and baking to attend to. Yup, it took a little while to get to them.

When I found an old frame in the attic, I had to scrub it up. Then I had to scrounge around for a suitable piece of backing. Found that and cut it to size then fitted my first piece carefully inside the frame. It looked awesome. That’s a picture of it up there.

When I decided to hang it over the fireplace in the kitchen I had to find a spot to relocate the rooster picture I’d had there. Casting my eye around the room I spotted the plate rail running along the top of the wall. Well, there ya go, an excellent place for Mr. Rooster.

While fussing to make room for rooster some really aggressive cobwebs reached out for a hug so I beat them back and ran for a wet cloth. To get into the open space in a far corner I had to move a chair which disturbed all the dust bunnies and splashes of Capri Sun (grandmas know what I mean) on the chair rungs. Yuck! Then, when I got down to wipe those off, I could see that the bunnies had been breeding like little sex maniacs all winter covering the baseboards with their loathsome offspring. And just above the baseboards some drips and spills from delightful meals of yore called to me. They were showing off all up and down the dark tongue and groove paneling. Grrr. They didn't have long to live. I have to tell you, these disgusting discoveries were getting to be a real drag. 

But, an hour or so later I had everything spiffed up and that’s when I realized . . .

By June (or maybe Christmas) the house should be pretty darn clean. I have three more cross stitch samplers to frame and hang. I'm giving fair warning right now to the dust bunnies to pack up and get outta Dodge. And I’ll let the rest of you know when to pop over for the white glove test.

How’s your spring cleaning going?

Here are my other pieces.




9 comments:

  1. Sue,

    How lovely! And did I read correctly? You have a fireplace in your kicthen? That sounds heavenly. I would probably never leave home. LOL

    My spring cleaning is slow, but progressive...

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    1. Jen, Yes, we have a full wall fireplace in the kitchen and one in the living room. Old houses are like that. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Spring cleaning in Texas happened in January, when the cold weather skipped away, and just before my parents arrived for a visit. This weekend we're visiting in Minnesota, where they probably won't even get out the broom until June!

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    1. Oh, Enjoy Minnesota and give my love to everyone. Wish I could go, too. Maybe next time. Hugs. Kiss my brother for me!

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  3. I used to cross stitch all. The. Time. On planes, on the couch, in the van on long trips...I used to think, "My boys won't get quilts, but they'll have cross-stitched masterpieces." And now they'll have their lives documented in newsprint and ink as well.

    I think I'm doing my part. :)

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    1. Oh, you so are, Rhonda! I'll bet your work is lovely. How about a cross stitch globe?

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  4. It's funny how a seemingly simple project can turn the place upside down, isn't it? I am sure your finds will be a lovely addition to your home. :) Glad you shared them with us. You are right, they are treasures. You showed great restraint only snagging four of them.

    Had a similar adventure here while rearranging the living room to accommodate a large TV my mother in law bought but decided she didn't want. Yes, we inherited her 55" smart TV, and while I am thankful for the gift (at least that's what I keep telling myself) it did take some mental and physical adjustments around here. These included my husband extending the fireplace mantel, painting the mantel and the firebox, and painting the wall around it. The wall is now a lovely dark accent color which we're thinking downplays the "LOOK! WE HAVE A GIANT TV!" aspect of the whole thing. We're hoping visitors notice our living room furniture and not just the TV. So the large picture that was over the mantel before has now found a home in my office. This also led to hanging a few more pictures in the office as well, ones I'd meant to hang but not gotten around to yet. And this led to me cleaning out some standing files in my office, a project that is not yet entirely complete. So, maybe like you, this will be wrapped up by June or thereabouts...Oh yeah, and then there are the dangling wires and cables my husband needs to reroute through the attic, so they don't permanently dangle from the mantel. The fun just never ends! :)

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    1. Karen - we are kindred spirits. LOL If you give a girl a Smart TV, she's going to want . . .

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