Special Gift and Things Handmade

You all know by now that I am addicted to doing hand embroidery work, don't you?

So far, in the month of January I have completed embroidering two sets of pillow cases, have a third set almost half-way completed and am well on my way to getting a tablecloth -size 52 inches by 70 inches -completed pretty soon too.

I love doing items like this, really I do. I often do hand embroidered items and give them to my girls for their birthday or for Christmas as something that years from now, they can use them and remember that it was old Mom's eyes and fingers that worked and worked to get this item done, just for them. Sort of my own particular kind of legacy I guess.

I even have two pillow cases done -so far -that I did for the two youngest grandkids too -each being a Disney character. I'm holding them back for a little Easter present for them.

I also have a set of pillow cases that were given to me too that I treasure.

Not that they are of the finest linen or the same type of quality and/or style one would get if you purchased bedding by Matouk but rather because of how they came to me and something that was done to them by the person who sent them to me.

These pillow cases are made from a blue print percale fabric -which is pretty enough by itself, rather quaint type print -but a distant cousin of mine made these and then, hand-knitted a lacy type edging around them. The edging is at least 3 inches in length and she told me that the knitting was done with the bone knitting needles of the smallest size you can possible acquire. The needles she used she said had belonged to my great-stepgrandmother, who brought them with her on the boat when she immigrated from Scotland to the United States back around 1881 or 1882!

She also told me that to complete a set of pillow cases like these generally takes her a minimum of 30 hours of work!

Knowing how much time I put into the items I embroider, that is really a heck of a lot of work and the labor alone, as intense as it is, makes these things, to me, just as valuable then as any of the finest linens available in any store!