The school I went to in Germany (was an army brat in the early 1970's) made the class learn Textiles for one term (semester in the US?) while I was 6. We were all required to make place mats embroidered with our initial in large crosses on the fabric. I now know that was on 6 count Aida and it taught us the rudiments of cross stitch, back stitch and a running stitch. Anyway, the teacher decided I was best in class with that project. Didn't happen often, so it stuck in my mind.
I didn't often pick up a needle in the next 40 years, only when needed to repair some clothing or make some dressing up stuff for the kids. My wife hates sewing, so I get delegated.
Creative urges were satisfied by programming, building, carpentry, veneering, metalwork and through an accident, making pens on my metal lathe (was asked to be a moderator in the 'Pen Turning' forum at the 'Fountain Pen Network' and thought I ought to make a pen or two before pontificating on the subject. Nearly 200 pens later, I think I'm beginning to get the hang of it).
During Christmas 2010 I was sitting there, in the livingroom, with a cat on my lap (normal in our house, as it's infested with cats), and was very bored. The weather was foul, but I couldn't go into the workshop because it was cold and pen blanks tend to get brittle below 8C, the workshop is unheated and was only 2C at the time. Also I wanted to be with the family, not stuck in front of the lathe. What could I do?
That was the point when I remembered the cross stich 40 years before.. And realised that 2hrs a night in front of the TV is 600 hrs a year, which is a long time that could be spent stitching.
Onto E-bay and look for kits. I was overwhelmed with twee little kits of crafty tat, cute teddy bears, cute cats and cute cottages and cute (oh so sickeningly cute) babies and cute stuff. Yuk, yuk, yuk.
Eventually I found a kit of a sleeping beauty, rather randomly titled 'Hot and Cold (Horse)', but it wasn't cute and it was both nice, arty and cheap. So I ordered it, not realising the significance of the fact it was 300 x 250 stitches. Started it in mid Jan 2011, having read Jo Verso's 'Complete Cross Stitch Course' which was stuffed full of more cute tweeness (yuk, yuk). 2011 proceeded in the way time usually does, and at 11.59pm on 31 December 2011, I tied off the last stitch. 59000+ stitches completed as my first project:
Quite pleased with it, but it wasn't my real choice of picture as I had picked from a very small pool of non-twee pictures. It had started me off, though.
Regards,
Richard.
Statistics: Posted by richardandtracy — Thu May 29, 2014 12:29 pm