Throwback Thursday - 1997 (Part 3)

 My mosey back to 1997 cross-stitch projects continues with a nametag I made in October. I'd recently joined the Embroiderer's Guild of America (EGA). At each meeting, members wear namtags (sometimes quite elaborate) to both make it easy for others to recognize us, and to show off some needlework skills.

For my moniker, CameoRoze, I used an alphabet called Flower Garden from a book called The Ultimate Flower Alphabet Book by the American School of Needlework. And for "Margaret" I used the Leisure Arts Leaflet 407 called 20 Backstitch Alphabets: Mini Series #2. I thought the @ sign in Cameo was clever since I was well-known online in the needlework community.

This is where I learned the Nun's Stitch which is used for the pink border.

In November I finished one of my all-time favorite cross-stitch pieces. It's called Angelic Tidings and was a kit from the company Needle Treasures. Instead of using the fabric in the kit, I chose a Crystal Pink Annabelle evenweave ground cloth. So, so pretty.

Even though this is a large-ish piece by my standards, it worked up very quickly and was just a joy to stitch. To me, the most special part is the way the angel is holding the baby and looking at him with loving care, and the baby is looking toward earth, where he has a big job ahead of him. His cubby hand is grabbing onto the gold braid on her bodice. Just look at that smile! 

I was thrilled to have finished this stitching in time for Christmas. My mom and I had a girl's day out in early December, getting our hair cut, eating lunch and talking. She helped me pick out the mat and frame that afternoon. It was the last girl's day out we had together.

Mom died later that month, between Christmas and New Year's Day.

My Heart Belongs to Daddy is a Kidlinks design. This stitched piece was a joint gift to my husband from my youngest daughter, Jodie, and me. Jodie really did help stitch, even though she was only 4 years old at the time.

Jodie would sit in my lap, the floor stand in front of us. I would poke the needle down and pull the thread through. Then I'd poke the needle up, Jodie would grab it and pull the thread through. It took a little while for her to get the hang of holding on to both the needle and the thread. I rethreaded that needle more times than I can count on this piece!

Jodie is the one that found the chart and wanted to do it. The way this little blonde girl looks adoringly up at her daddy is exactly how Jodie gazed at her father.

The new technique I learned in this piece was how to use a blended needle, meaning two different colors of floss threaded into the same needle. It's what gives Daddy's pants the look of tweed.

The new technique I learned in this piece was how to use a blended needle. The chart calls for three strands of floss. On one leg of the pants, there are two dark brown strands and one light brown strand. The other leg is just the opposite, two light brown strands and one dark brown strand of floss.

This piece still hangs in our home, just outside our home office.

The last thing I sitch in 1991 was this Celestial Ornament for my sister Janet. She celebrates the Winter Solstice at this time of year. We have a "sister thing" about making it to the solstice while staving off the winter blues. So we both celebrate the beginning of days growing longer.

I used some DMC rayon for the dark blue, and some stranded gold metallic for the sun. Both those fibers are fussy to work with, but the result is so very nice in that the ornament glows in soft light.

The ornament designed by Carole Rodgers is from Cross Stitch and Needlework's 1996 Cross-Stitch Ornaments special edition.

That final Christmas with my mom was extraordinary. Early in the month, she spent the day with me and my sister Janet. She sat at the table and directed us as we worked (long hours!) in the kitchen. She gave us tips on how to make Christmas cookies from the old family recipes. It's one of my fondest memories.