Would you like to see the first things I embroidered?

Going though my linen closet, I pulled out the very old stash of some of the things I first embroidered starting at the age of 10. With some of you starting embroidery, I thought you might like to see how extremely bad I was starting out. Of course, being young, I thought every thing I stitched was a masterpiece and often gave them away as presents to my family. I shudder to think what they must have thought. So do not blame me for your sore eyes after taking a look at these primitive and very stained pieces. I have them soaking now after I saw how bad they looked!

This I a dresser scarf that I stitched when I was 10. My mom and I were in Benjamen Franklin's store(do you remember those stores?) when we found a pile of the ready to embroider pieces. She let me pick the piece I liked, let me pick out the floss I wanted, and I could not wait to get home to stitch. I don't think she saw me all weekend except at the supper table. I stayed in my room, stitching away!
Here is the close up. I did not know how to do french knots, satin stitch, or how to make tiny stitches for the little tie on the dog's head. My mother would sit and show me over and over. She was so patient.

As the years went by, I got better and when I was a freshman in high school, I made a practice cloth of some of my favorite transfer designs. (can you tell I didn't have a boy friend at that time?)As you can see, the unfinished red dye on some. I am so glad they don't use red dye anymore! I never finished it,(was it the boy friend?) but it was a good thing to practice on. I spent many hours doing this. I think you can click on the picture for a better look, but beware!

One thing I have noticed is that I used more brilliant and bright colors when I was a young girl than I do now. I loved striking blues and deep reds.

I hope these stains come out! I almost did not post this piece!

I was blessed with a sweet and kind Home Economics teacher, Mrs. Ellis. She always encouraged us to get things ready for the upcoming fair each year. She would then take our things and enter them. Above is a tablecloth that I won a blue ribbon for. I used this cloth so much through the years, that the middle has holes and if you take a closer look, you can see the threads getting bare. I still love this design and am going to trace off the pattern so that I can make another. The center has a big ring with criss- cross lines going through it. I don't enter my things at the fair now, however.

And here is that bird pattern I had talked about in a recent post. This is one of Aunt Martha's wonderful transfer designs.

And now here we are at present date. This is a dresser scarf I made for a gift store in town. The lady loved my embroidery and had me make a dozen of these and several other items. They always sold and I was very busy. She would meet with me once a month to go over the next designs and what she would like in her store. I loved this. The store has been closed for a few years now and she has moved away. Notice my color change now that I am older?

Another kind of embroidery I love is cut work. This work is done on the end edges of the tea pot scarf in the recent photo. This is the kind of work I did for the designer in Boston and for a lady in Virginia. She had beautiful white dresses and trusted me to cut and embroider on them. The designer in Boston had silk garments and sent matching silk thread for me to work with. They also trusted me cutting the garments to stitch.

And you have seen this picture before, this is the tablecloth I am working on to finish. I am getting excited as it is getting closer to getting done. But you can see the style of my embroidery has changed over the years. I started the traditional way and then found my own voice in how I wanted to express the stitches. That is what I would like to encourage each of you to do. When you find your own style, it just makes you feel so much better when you stitch. It is a piece of yourself!.....but as I always say..... enjoy the process! I feel that is what it is all about!