Is this not the cutest bag? I found it at one of my favorite thrift stores in Arizona - Gracies. I have had it for a while, it added graphic color to my office wall where it hung.
This week when I decided to bring out the embroidery "stuff" and try my hand at a new craft the butterfly bag seemed the ideal place to stow all my threads and hoops.
I have had the tools I needed for this craft for a while and I packed them in the motorhome because it is a perfect craft. You don't need a lot of room for the tools and you can start and stop a project at any time or place. Perfect.
The first thing I had to do was go online and find out how to embroider. There are lots of links and you tubes to choose from. I actually keep my laptop open to my instruction site as I take my stitches. Works perfectly for me. You can do lots of embroidery with mainly 3 stitches and that's a good thing at this point in my life. I need easy. I need simple.
When I look at the back of my work it reminds me of two things.
First Ava taught me to sew in 4-H when I was about 11 years old. The one thing she said that stuck with me was, "It doesn't matter what it looks like on the inside, it is what it looks like on the outside that matters." Ava is over 100 years old now and last year I shared my sewing memory with her. She did not remember teaching us that or maybe she just didn't want to admit to telling us that. I don't think it is good sewing advice but it does make me smile when I think of it.
The second thing the back of my embroidery work reminds me of is the tapestry of our lives, how that God can see the beauty of the tapestry from the top while we see only the knots and threads of the underside.
My stitches are not precise. They are not perfect. You know what? It is ok. I happen to be a first born defeated perfectionist. Is that personality or a character trait? Interesting. I need to look further into this because I am not sure which it is.
I have ripped out a few stitches and redone them. This tea towel will not win a blue ribbon by any means but I like it. I felt good when I finished it. I love the red and yellow together. It reminds me of my kitchen in Arizona. This towel definitely shows some sloppy stitches but as I looked at the over all affect, I really like it. It is casual, it is relaxed. It is me. Just needs to washed and have the wrinkles pressed out.
The most positive thing about my new craft is that it is very relaxing. I need this!
Love and Hugs,
Mèmére
