Okay, I think it's time to step back from exposing my deeper feelings to you and instead expose to you one of the things I've done recently. It's still about marriage though, so be warned!
A couple weeks ago, on one of my Goodwill hunting trips, I came across a framed cross-stitch. Here's what was written on the back:
Sadly, I would guess that maybe Dan and Michelle's marriage didn't last. (I actually know a Michelle who was married to a Dan whose marriage didn't survive past the birth of their third little boy in five years--wouldn't it be funny if the cross-stitch had been theirs?!)
Here's the front of the "picture." Apparently by the time I took this photo, I'd cleaned off the glass, so you can't see that it cost something like $2.99, I think.
I found the cross-stitch during my lunch hour on a day when I went to a class at the quilt shop after work. There I ran into Gran, our embroidery instructor, and Julia, another friend who enjoys embroidery, so I brought the cross-stitch in to show them and they were both fascinated. I also passed it around during class and the group of us talked a little about the message written on the back of the frame and wondered how it had ended up in a thrift store. Sometimes that's the fun of thrifting--imagining where something's been!
The cross-stitch was mounted onto an adhesive cardboard for framing and that had to be removed. There were also a couple little discolored spots on the cross-stitch, and after talking with Gran about possible cleaning methods, I washed and dried it using a soap she recommended. In order to stabilize the threads on the back, because I was worried that removing it from the sticky cardboard may have pulled a few loose, I used an light/medium weight iron-on interfacing on the back.
Finally, I made it into a pillow by adding a backing, stuffing, and a ruffle. I think it will look sweet on the bed in the guest bedroom, don't you?
P.S.: TODAY IS EILEEN'S BIRTHDAY! If you follow her blog, click on over there and wish her a happy day!
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14 comments:
Beauty - ay!
Well done project. It is true, we do wonder about where a thrift store find/treasure came from and especially if it a stitchery of that caliber.
Thanks for the heads up on Eileens birthday, I heading over to her site right now.
Hugs!
Very creative! I love the detail of the edging on the ruffle. It will show up nicely on a bed.
Sad to think of someone putting all that time into the cross-stitch, only to have it wind up in a thrift store. Thank goodness you were there to recognize its value!
I cross-stitched a pillow and later on took it to the thrift store. A few years later I visited a seamstress from church. I had just met her for the first time. She had purchased my pillow and had transformed it into a small wall plaque for her sewing room! That was really wild! Thanks for sharing.
Christina D
What a cute little find...and very sweet what you did with it! Clever girl!
What a great thing to do with an old cross stitch! I have several I need to do something with and this is just the thing! I have to ask...what soap was recommended? I have one cross stitch that was my grandmother's and they had a wood burner and she smoked. The fabric is yellow and I was afraid to launder it! Thanks for your help! :0)
Nice save!! ......very creative to make it into a pillow.....I wonder what happened to the original owners.....and the person who stitched it.....!
Great pillow! My husband's name is Dan - but it wasn't our cross-stitch!
Wonderful. And would you mind sharing the soap that you used. I have a beautiful sampler that my mom did for me that I have to wash but don't want to take any more risks than necessary with it. Your laundering obviously came out great.
Well done! I love the pillow and the needlepoint is lovely-and so is the message! That was a keeper! Don't you just LOVE thrift shopping?
You just never know what you will find!!
Paulette
That message is so evocative. Do you mind if I copy it down and use it sometime?
Great job on the pillow. It was a great find. And good timing with your anniversary so near.
I know a Dan and Michelle too...although they're still happily married. :-) I love what you did with the crosstitch!
Your cross stitch transformation is beautiful Kim! Something that was once treasured is now treasured again! I love it!
You know Kim, I haven't kept up with you lately due to life but I read yesterday's posts.
Some might consider me one of the nicest people they have ever met, yet in the privacy of my mind I sometimes have the most ugly thoughts, like today. I thought and analyzed and thought s'more and decided that the problem was that I am human. LOL I hope that's the right answer anyway. And I suspect you might be too, although I kind of think you are wonder woman. Hugs to you and yours.
Jazzy's mama
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