Friday Show and Tell - and Twin Update

This is #5 in my series called "I Used To . . . " It has been fun going down memory lane and realizing how many things my hands created when I was younger. This edition is a look at my "stitchery stage."

I remember when I started stitching pictures to decorate my house. I had embroidered dish towels when I was a young girl - I don't remember who taught me, but I hadn't done any embroidery for years. I bought this kit to go in our bedroom - it was the beginning of a many-years-long love affair with needles, yarn, and embroidery floss.

Soon after this first venture, I discovered a party plan called "Creative Stitchery." I hosted parties, went to parties, ordered kits, and even pondered the idea of becoming a Creative Stitchery employee. I nixed that idea when I realized I would have to be gone most evenings, if I succeeded in this venture. I'd rather stay home and embroider! I soon had enough to cover the large area above my couch in the living room.

I decorated a bathroom with these.

When I was pregnant with Kristen, I did the nursery in light green, with gingham curtains and all sorts of green touches - even painted the chest of drawers and the crib green - those were the days. I bought this counting chart kit and had so much fun doing it. It was in the shop being framed when I went into labor.

These others were added to the kids' rooms as time went on.

I did these with embroidery floss. They were in Kristen's room for years, but now live in the downstairs bathroom - I just couldn't store them away.

This was in the kitchen.

Can you tell this was in the 70s, when everything was gold, brown, and orange??

These still hang in my house, in the upstairs bathroom.

I still put this one up every Christmas.

Somehow I became interested in counted cross-stitching. I had so many pattern books, dozens of skeins of floss. Believe it or not, this was the first one I did - nothing like starting with a real challenge. It still hangs in my living room.

The detail on this picture was incredible - I got mixed up on the fence along the front, with all the flowers - and had to improvise - I did NOT want to tear it all out. You can click and enlarge, if you want to.

I went a little nuts with counted cross stitch. Everybody got one for a wedding gift - and Precious Moments were my favorite. I have no idea how many of these I made for wedding gifts - each personalized with the couples' names and wedding date. This was on 18 count fabric - the last one I did, I had to sit in front of a window in the bright sunlight to be able to see the white on off white - the veil was made of sparkling floss - you can't really see the veil, because it's not outlined with the brown floss.

At some point I realized that I didn't have any in my house, so I made a set for each of the kids. I gave Kristen's to her when she had girls, and could not get a picture. But these are Kev's, and are waiting to go to his house when he has a boy, hopefully.

I used to work on these things every evening as the t.v. was on. DC would ask me why I couldn't just relax - I told him this was how I did relax. I finally gave all of my floss to my SIL, Morning Glory, who lost all of her floss when their car was stolen and her floss was in the car. I had developed tendonitis, and my hands couldn't take it any more. But I'm glad I have all of these good memories of productivity and creativity.

As for the twinnies - they are doing new cute things all the time - they'll be 7 months old on Thursday (how can it be??)

Katie chillin' --

Learning to hold their bottles --

Rolling over, and being frustrated that they can't seem to roll back -- Emma is comforting Katie

For more Friday Show and Tell stories, stop by Kelli's blog, There Is No Place Like Home.