Who taught you to stitch, and were there any special circumstances or memories surrounding this? I really don't think I had a cross-stitch teacher. I was always interested in history and I love the "Little House On The Prairie books. Maybe I picked it up from there, I'm not sure. I learned to sew from my mother and grandmother. My Italian grandparents (my father's parents) met in a garment factory in New Jersey in the early 1900's when they first came to the U.S. Later they had their own tailors/dressmakers shop. I would make doll clothes of the lovely scraps of silk and satin. We would make the long journey from the suburbs back to "the city" , which was Newark, to visit them on Sundays. By this time both my grandparents had retired and my grandfather had suffered a stroke. Although his talented hands could no longer work well and he had trouble speaking, he would inspect all me sewing work of the week and give me tips on what I needed to alter or improve. My first cross-stitch project was a stamped kit on green linen of the Girl Scout Motto. It still hangs at my parent's house. I laugh over the huge awkward stitches now.
What’s your favorite thing to stitch?(A project, a kind of stitching, etc.) I love primitive designs, like Prairie Schooler. I also like samplers, realistic animals and designs with other languages/alphabets or scenes of foreign countries. I love making my gymnasts designs from scratch, although I haven't done one of those in a while. Right now I am obsessed with all things Quaker.
Why do you stitch?I stitch to relax, but also to be useful. My husband is a carpenter and can see the tangible results of his work. As a gymnastics coach the "results" of my work are rather vague. My success comes through the success of the gymnasts, and not really for me personally. Stitching gives me a chance to see that I’ve actually accomplished something. I love all things creative...music, dance, art and being able to design my own charts of gymnasts gives me a special feeling.
When is your special stitching time? Usually during the day. My husband works during the day and I go to work in the evening. I am alone all day with my beloved pets and I stitch rather then watch TV or get trapped on this computer!
Where is your special stitching place? (An accompanying picture would be great!) First of all, no photo. It is an embarrassing mess over there, and I don't want to share that with the world. I stitch in the livingroom in my favorite chair. The light is not all that good, but on sunny days it is very comfortable there. In the Winter there is no other choice but the livingroom because the wood-stove is there and that is our only source of heat. My second favorite spot is a new place I've found at the gym. There is a large atrium area near the snack bar (now isn't that convenient!!) that has huge skylights. The natural light is wonderful to stitch with. It makes all other spots , even my comfortable chair, seem dull and dark.
On a different note...........Alix is doing well. Completely normal cat behaviour. Now if only I could be more normal. Thanks so much for all the wonderful and caring comments and e-mails I have gotten.
Did they really do cross stitch in the Little House on the Prairie books? I don't remember that. :)
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