Saturday, May 11, 2019

Cross Stitch ~



I finished Lydia Bond.  It only took 25+ years :)  I never thought about the "mememto mori" at the bottom of the sampler until The Cranky Crow pointed it out.  My romance language background then kicked in and I roughly translated it to memories of the dead.  Here is what Robin said about it.

"It is really reminders of death and the mortality of men . . .   It became a term to generally encompass the practice (primarily popular in the Victorian era) of saving momentos from deceased loved ones (e.g., the bits of hair tucked into jewelry, the portraits made from woven hair, etc.).  It is also now a term used to refer to the Victorian portraits of deceased loved ones . . .  Often time the only photographs a family could afford (as photography was in its infancy) were those done after a loved one died.  So they would prop them up to make them "look" alive and photograph them.  Others didn't even bother trying them look lifelike and just photographed them in their coffins, etc."  

Thanks, Robin, for the fascinating information.



The sampler was done on unbleached linen which is darker than it appears in the photo.  With the aid of an Ott lite, bifocals and sometimes a magnifying glass worn around the neck, I was able to muddle through.  This part was a real bear to stitch.  Ok, for starters, I only like to do Xs, so this was a challenge for me.  Perhaps that is why I set it aside for so many years.  The flower, stem and leaves is worked in the tent stitch which is half a cross stitch.  OK, easy enough, except that is worked over one thread.  The motif above the flower is worked in the queen stitch.  ARGH.  I did not enjoy that stitch.  Thankfully the pink band that is also the queen stitch was already stitched.  I am happy to have her done.


Here are some other cross stitch pieces I have stitched in the last six or seven years.  They are just sitting in a plastic shoe box in the closet.  I really ought to consider doing something with them, don'tcha think.





My son is off on his annual motorcycle trip to Hocking Hills in southern Ohio, so I get to watch the granddog, Kali.  She moves so quickly it is hard to get a picture of her.  This was the best I could do.


Happy Mother's Day!  A little mom humor :)


Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

13 comments:

Sweet Sue said...

Nice finishes Lauren, and I must admit that is quite a lovely muddle, congrats:) Happy Mothers Day!

marly said...

Why doesn't my Lydia have that bottom section? That was one of my first samplers and I was following the charts without changes in the beginning. Interesting! Happy Mother's Day.

Prims By The Water said...

Never knew about the Momento Mori, but did know they propped up dead folks for photos and used hair in pictures. Great post about moms then and now...so true! Love all of your stitcheries. Happy Mother's Day to you Lauren! Janice

Saundra said...

That Robin is quite informative; thanks to both of you for the info. Oh so funny about the quips of today vs. yesteryear.

kcmrugs@gmail.com said...

You always have such great bits to share!
That Ethan Goodwin sampler is very Halloween-y.
I too have many completed but unframed cross stitch pieces.
Ah well....

Julie - My Primitive Heart said...

Hi Lauren,
Lovely job and now you need to get all those other wonderful pieces out and display them!! I really do need to get back to cross stitch and you have inspired me!! We will see what happens! Loved reading what Robin shared and knew about those practices but not the name of it! Thanks for sharing it with us! Your grand dog is so sweet, and that little poem with the pugs is just adorable, too!!
Hope you have a lovely Mother's Day, my friend!
Heart Hugs~
Julie xo

Julia said...

Your sampler looks great. I never heard of the queen stitch. I've only done Xxs too in cross stitch. Are you going to have them framed? I got one or my larger cross stitch framed and it cost a lot. The next one I framed myself and it was quite a job to have it exactly straight.

Happy Mother's Day to you.
Hugs, Julia

TheCrankyCrow said...

Wow....I actually can say I’ve been quoted LOL.... Quite an honor coming from you.... Lydia turned out splendidly.... Yeah those “specialty” stitches sometimes frighten me off....which, when you think about it, is kinda silly since the more we do them, the easier they become and the less likely we are to forget them. My last piece (that is 99.8% finished) had cross stitch (1 over 2), Smyrna, and stem stitch....all child’s play.... but the cross stitches done 1 over 1 (and there weren’t that terribly many of them) nearly did me in. And, yeah Girl... you BETTER do something with all those wonderful stitcheries!! I had a stack accumulating for a while...mostly holiday ones....and forced myself to sit and finish the majority of them the week after Christmas. I think I am down to 2 or 3? Love the “then and now” mommalies.... Happy Mother’s Day GT!! ~Robin~

moosecraft said...

Happy Mom's Day!!!
Love that little sampler! Congrats on finishing and being able to master those specialty stitches!
I have a few finishes that haven't been "finished"....I'm thinking instead of making pillows out of them....I just might start framing them (small frames without glass)....easier to display (and the cat won't think it's a toy)? :-)

Farm Girl said...

I love your cross stitch. That really is a beautiful sampler. Yes, I have mine mostly in boxes too.
That Mom then and now is so funny. I think life so so much nicer to just grab your bike and be able to pack a bologna sandwich and be home by dark.
Except, I rode a horse. During the summer and holidays I don't think I was ever in the house until dark. I don't think my Mom ever even worried. Poor kids today.
I have done a few specialty stitches but mostly Xs too. I love Kali.
Have a great week.

acorn hollow said...

nice finish! I heard every single one of the then moms.
Cathy

woolwoman said...

if those finished pieces aren't too big you could do some prim pillow finishing and put in a large dough bowl or basket. They would look great in your house. WOW great job on those queen stitches - not my favorite for sure ! I stray away from samplers with decorative stitches these days - I am so dang lazy, just keeping up with simple X's is about all I have the brain power left for after working. hope you had a great mothers day! Mel

Jennie in GA said...

Lydia is gorgeous!! And that is quite a nice collection of finished cross stitch that you have there!! Your grand dog looks as though it is ready to take off. Bet you had your hands full...lol!!