Needlework Fiction--The Bedspread

The Bedspread Sylvia Fair (1982)

*** 3/5 stars Check out GoodReads for more reviews of this book.

Books about knitting are rampant, but books about embroidery are harder to come by, which is why I searched all over for this out-of-print picture book about two very, very old sisters who live in a very, very big bed and one day decide that they need to embroider their very, very boring white bedspread together. Each sister embroiders the house that they grew up in, but instead of being symmetrical, one is stitched with gorgeous stitches and precision, while the other is a crazy mix of color and memories. The vocabulary would need to be explained to youngsters or even young readers, so it would be a perfect book for a grandmother to read to her grandchild--especially if that grandchild showed any inclination for needlework. I can see all sorts of needlework lessons inspired by this book, for example showing a child how to do some of Maud's fancy stitches, or allowing him or her time to explore Amelia's sense of design while stitching their own house. I especially liked Amelia's peacocks perched on the roof of the family home. Although the picture book was not written by an embroiderer, both the text and the illustrations capture the duality of needlework--creativity and precision--without judging one better than the other. Indeed, when the sisters die at age 103, their bedspread is displayed in a museum, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday hung to show Maud's work and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays to show Amelia's.

 

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New beginnings

It is finally spring in Denver--despite the crazy snow storm we had on Mother's Day--and people are concentrating on new beginnings. My apartment is packed up and the things I care about are on their way to Rhode Island. I've kept just enough in Denver to be able to live comfortably. While I was packing, I came across my First Communion Book. I am not sure why, but on my First Communion day, without any prompting, I drew everything that happened to me.

I was not at all accurate about a lot of things. For example, in this self portrait I have bangs and brown eyes, but I didn't have any type of bangs at all until high school, and my eyes are green!

Yet I was very careful to be accurate about other details. Here is the dress that my mother made for me. The bodice was smocked--that's what all those pink dots are. It was the first time I had seen smocking and I was fascinated by it.

I don't have a photo of me in my First Communion dress, but this drawing shows the whole ensemble. How proud I was! I have to admit being a little disappointed though when I got to the church and saw all the girls with veils. We were told not to wear them, and having never been to a first communion, I didn't know what I was missing until then.

Least you think I was all about the dress though, I do have several drawings of the service, including the big moment.

So happy spring, and happy First Communion to the children experiencing their own new beginnings this May.

 

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A little wish for a happy life together

My time in Rhode Island was well spent. There wasn't much time for embroidery, what with managing kitty introductions, yard work, Easter and visits from friends, although I did help my new neighbor with a cross stitch kit and spent a lovely evening with her gabbing about cats and stitching. My last day in New England we spent at my husband's son's engagement party, hosted by his sister-in-law-to-be in a pretty glass coffee house in a Boston park. A lovely time, but we learned that the kids are too shy for a wedding shower. The engagement party was a compromise so that people could celebrate without putting the bride and groom on the spot. Luckily, I had already finished their shower gift and slipped it to them on Easter without fanfare.

 

My gift was simple embroidered pillow cases. Since I wasn't 100% sure that the bride would be changing her last name, although I know she is thinking about it, I went with their first initials--conveniently K & K--and cross stitched these pretty initials on each pillow case. The pattern is a free one from Blackwork Journey. The initials are classic and understated, just like the couple. I fell in love with the pattern when I went to the site to download a free blackwork sampler pattern. I have all the materials for the sampler, but somehow the pillowcases took precedence. It is nice to have a little project that can be finished quickly! I actually did most of the stitching during my last visit home and finished up in Colorado before this last trip out.

 

Now I have a request from my husband to make some for our bed, and have just heard that my baby cousin (20 years old) will be getting married later this year. It will be a great fast gift for her as well. So, I guess I will be busy stitching pillow cases this year, but it is so nice to have a little hand made gift of love to send along with these new relationships. A little wish for a happy life together.

 

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Spring in New England with elephants

You know Spring has sprung when the elephants come out. My baggy elephant skins from Colorado have fattened up nicely and are ready to play in the forsythia. Hopefully the boys and girls who they will be going to have a lot of energy!

 

I used buttons for the elephant eyes this time, and found some really sparkly ones for the Hello Kitty elephant. She is a real girly girl.

 

Speaking about eyes, I was out in the garden over the weekend trimming the forsythia and pulling down some overgrown ivy when I accidentally encountered my absolute nemesis--poison ivy. I steer clear of poison ivy because my family is all particularly sensitive to it. Who knew I had it in the yard? This time, in addition to arms and legs, I got the ivy oils on my eyelid. Thankfully, a few days of oral steroids have reduced the swelling.

 

Now why do I get up close and intimate with poison ivy, but will miss the pear tree and the lilac, which are both about to bloom? It hardly seems fair, but it is back to Colorado for me.

 

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My nephew the tiger

Remember my nephew Simon who loves tigers? I made him a pillowcase for his birthday. Well, my mom took the tiger theme even further and knit him a tiger vest for Easter! This is a cell phone photo since I wasn't back home for Easter, but isn't he cute? Don't grandma's make the BEST gifts?

 

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Knitting soothes the soul

I read this lovely article on the health benefits of knitting last week. It confirms something that I think every knitter feels, that knitting is a good way to relax. But it was interesting in that it also speculated that knitting is a good way to overcome stress--even post-traumatic stress syndrome--and can actually slow down aging of the brain. This explains why in the most stressful periods of my life, I always turn to knitting.

 

I am not an avid knitter. I subscribe to my mother's mantra to find a body to fit your knitting rather than deal with gage, but sometimes knitting is the only thing that can calm an inconsolable mind. During a particularly long and stressful period of my life I had a roommate die, another roommate who was less than ideal move in, and negotiated my own move along with a divorce, a job change, and a major disease diagnosis. That's when I started knitting again. The physical rhythm of knitting soothed my anxiety and helped me think straight. It provided relief from the churning thoughts in my mind, and I was both surprised and happy to wind up with something in the end--even a simple baby sweater or hat. It was a way to channel my negative energy towards a positive outcome and I know my health benefitted from the practice.

 

DI find when I knit, I breath to the click of the knitting needles. I have tried yoga, which is quite difficult for me since my spine is fused, but have never been able to pursue it because I hate the breathing. It frustrates me to the point of wanting to scream. But knitting soothes me into a meditative state without my even noticing. It provides the quiet time that is so needed in times of stress. Recently, I've found myself itching for knitting needles again--I think contemplating the move is getting to me.

Someone else is sick of moving too, but at least he and his brother are now safely in Rhode Island, whereas my things are still in Denver!

 

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A Martha Washington sewing cabinet

When my parents visited our new home last this fall, they brought with them my Christmas present--an absolutely beautiful Martha Washington sewing cabinet. I didn't know anything about this type of cabinet, so I started doing some research.

 

Martha Washington sewing cabinets were popular during the first half of the 20th century. I've read that they spiked in popularity during the depression when furniture makers were looking for smaller, less expensive pieces to sell.

They were modeled after popular federal-period sewing cabinets dating around 1800-1815. It is possible that Martha Washington owned one--but I couldn't confirm that.

A phot of a Federal sewing cabinet from The Antiques Directory.

 

I found the 20th-century versions in the Sears Catalog. The 1928-29 catalog advertises one for $6.35, but it must have been popular. By 1931, Sears was offering a bargain version for $7.55 and luxury versions in solid walnut ($17.75) or mahogany ($17.65) that cost about $267 in 2014 dollars!

An ad from the 1928-29 Sears Catalog.

 

These tables generally have three drawers in the center front, with rounded pockets on each side that flip open, revealing deep storage for yarn and fabric. My cabinet differs in that the pockets rotate out to reveal a deep pocket capped by a short one. This leaves the table top a solid piece and a perfect place for my great great grandfather's lamp!

 

Because my cabinet is unusual, i wanted to know who made it. A manufacturer's sticker on the bottom reads "made by SHEETS MFG. CO. Wapakoneta Ohio." The manufacturer's number is written in crayon on the bottom: #234. While I was looking online for information, I found that the owner of cabinet number 235 is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

 

There is very little information about the Sheets Manufacturing Company. In desperation, I called the Wapakoneta library, but even they couldn't find much. I did find a reference that states that the company was started in Botkins, Ohio, a few miles from Wapakoneta, in 1903 and specialized in furniture for export. I have not been able to verify this information, but the company name does show up in lists of furniture distributers.

 

There are a lot of photos online of furniture that people have acquired with the Sheets Manufacturing Company label. People like it, and interestingly enough, the rotating pockets show up on other pieces--such as desks. It must have been a signature feature.

 

I wish I could have found out more, but that is not going to stop my loving this piece of furniture. It is the perfect size for storing the projects and needles, threads and patterns that I work with during evenings in front of the television. Thank you Mom & Dad!

 

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