Early Embroidery

Summer of P: Past

1980 (ish):  Embroidered Pillowcase

This is one of the first large surface embroidery projects I ever stitched. The pre-printed pillowcases were bought in 1976 in Chicago, Illinois. My family took a cross-country trip during the country's bicentennial. Among other things, we swam in the Atlantic Ocean, saw Niagara Falls, toured Carlsbad Cavern, had our first Canadian and Texas experiences, got to know a whole lot of shirttail relatives, and visited the towns where my parents grew up.

When Mom was young, her parents owned a Ben Franklin five-and-dime store in Chicago. The store they owned was gone, but Mom took us to see a more modern version. That's where I bought the pillowcases. It was Mom who taught me to embroider backstitch, lazy daisy, chain stitch, satin stitch, and French knots. Most of those stitches are seen in this sample. I picked the vivid floss colors (a little bit 'Yikes!')

Can you tell? This photo shows the top right hump of a heart shape. Even back then, I guess hearts were a 'thing' for me.