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On Hobbies That Devour
Mar. 23rd, 2008 10:11 pmOne of the things I "do," as most anyone reading this journal has probably figured out by now, is embroidery. I find it to be soothing. It's something where I am in utter control and can set my own pace and though no one but me gives a damn about the finished result, that's actually okay. It's something completely for me (unlike writing), where even the end appreciation is solely for my own satisfaction.
I also go to estate sales whenever I spot some in the Pennysaver that sound interesting and are within my set of available days/times. These two hobbies are not as unrelated as one might think. I've gotten several neat embroidery pieces (tea towels, runners, tablecloths) from estate sales, some finished, some half-done, some never touched. I do use them; I'm not collecting them just to have them. At the same time, I don't think I'm too twee in my decorating; or, rather, I think my Wonderful Husband would put his foot down and let me know if he thought I was. I'm also currently scouring estate sales for materials for the Beginning Hand Embroidery class I'm going to be teaching at Costume College in August. With Joann's charging $.20 per skein of floss on sale, it simply makes more sense to buy the 40 skeins plus an embroidery hoop for $1 that I can sometimes get at estate sales in order to make up my kits.
One of the pieces I got yesterday was a linen runner with a basket and flowers at either end. It's all neatly done, though I do wonder at the choice to have the basket and vines both embroidered in cream floss on a cream background. But what made me snag this piece from out of the pile of miscellaneous sheets it was in is the blanket stitch (in that same cream) around the entire piece. It's... an unusual choice for finishing the edges. Unfortunately, the yarn for said blanket stitch dissolved in patches when it went though the washer/drier. ^_^;; So I've spent part of today ripping out the stitches and redoing them with matching thread I have in my kit. It's making me think about the person who made the runner originally. Why these color choices? Was the person just learning the blanket stitch, as it's done in several different variations? Or was this embroidery done by different hands? Things I will never know. Of course, it would be a better use of my time to simply trash the thing, or do a fast repair by machine, but you know what? I enjoy this work. I enjoy taking what someone spent time on and repairing it. It's made of good fabric and has lots of life in it yet; it just needs a little TLC. It makes me feel good to do this. And given that it's a little larger than most runners, I know exactly where I want to put it.
As soon as I get that piece of furniture cleared off, that is....
I also go to estate sales whenever I spot some in the Pennysaver that sound interesting and are within my set of available days/times. These two hobbies are not as unrelated as one might think. I've gotten several neat embroidery pieces (tea towels, runners, tablecloths) from estate sales, some finished, some half-done, some never touched. I do use them; I'm not collecting them just to have them. At the same time, I don't think I'm too twee in my decorating; or, rather, I think my Wonderful Husband would put his foot down and let me know if he thought I was. I'm also currently scouring estate sales for materials for the Beginning Hand Embroidery class I'm going to be teaching at Costume College in August. With Joann's charging $.20 per skein of floss on sale, it simply makes more sense to buy the 40 skeins plus an embroidery hoop for $1 that I can sometimes get at estate sales in order to make up my kits.
One of the pieces I got yesterday was a linen runner with a basket and flowers at either end. It's all neatly done, though I do wonder at the choice to have the basket and vines both embroidered in cream floss on a cream background. But what made me snag this piece from out of the pile of miscellaneous sheets it was in is the blanket stitch (in that same cream) around the entire piece. It's... an unusual choice for finishing the edges. Unfortunately, the yarn for said blanket stitch dissolved in patches when it went though the washer/drier. ^_^;; So I've spent part of today ripping out the stitches and redoing them with matching thread I have in my kit. It's making me think about the person who made the runner originally. Why these color choices? Was the person just learning the blanket stitch, as it's done in several different variations? Or was this embroidery done by different hands? Things I will never know. Of course, it would be a better use of my time to simply trash the thing, or do a fast repair by machine, but you know what? I enjoy this work. I enjoy taking what someone spent time on and repairing it. It's made of good fabric and has lots of life in it yet; it just needs a little TLC. It makes me feel good to do this. And given that it's a little larger than most runners, I know exactly where I want to put it.
As soon as I get that piece of furniture cleared off, that is....
