Cross-stitch, or how I spent the last three weeks

[tanaise]

This month, when I am not at work freaking out about deadlines, I am at home freaking out about redoing my cousin's sampler. The top half was unfinished, and I had to lay out the date and names and text. It's all here, in the set

I am gradually converting the lower half of the sampler into 'correct' cross stitch. My grandmother's stitching is awful, which hurts to pull out. She was exquisite. Her projects are amazing. I hate my aunt for stealing my bell pull from me, because it was mine and it is gorgeous, and she did it perfectly. But I digress into my hatred. That's not the point. The point is, my grandmother did beautiful work. Much fancier stuff than I do, and she finished them.

This one is not perfect. I will cut tag this because it is huge. but:




And here's the new bit:


I will finish the bit of the sky I am working on, and then I will start on the grass--I am tired of blue at the moment.

This will take me forever.

Comments

[deborahlive.livejournal.com]

That's really beautiful.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

I think that's what makes it hurt so much--even in bad shape (she did a lot of stitches over too many threads, or a top stitch over two bottom stitches, or a top stitch that faces the wrong way) it's still pretty. It's not nice enough to give to someone, particularly for a wedding, but it is a gorgeous design and the edgework--my god, she did a beautiful job on that. but my mom didn't think to check the cross stitch for her because really, that's the easy bit. So it has such enormous potential, and yet it's all messed up. And so the part of me that wants my cousin to get to keep something our grandmother made with her hands, get cancelled out by the part of me that knows my grandmother would be MORTIFIED at the idea of having something like that be shown to others.

I grieve over the strangest things, in the strangest ways--it's quite possible working on this has made sadder than anything else about my grandmother.

[deborahlive.livejournal.com]

But cross stitch was a gift from her, right? I learned to cross-stitch from the grandmother who later turned crazy and mean. When I do needlepoint it helps me remember her before she disowned me and it makes me less sad.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I don't think she taught me, but I do think I started doing it because of her, so good point.

[jmeadows.livejournal.com]

This is lovely. It looks so peaceful.