E is for Embroidery

At the age of 8 my mother taught me to embroider. The first project was a green baby bib shaped like the head of a Cocker Spaniel.  It was mostly outline stitch, in shades of brown, with a satin stitch pink nose.  My memory is that it was never finished into a bib and I'm not sure I finished all the embroidery.  In the early years I also stitched pre-stamped samplers (the oldest one on the right) and pillow cases.  Embroidery wasn't a passion until my college years…you know the embroidered denim shirts and jeans of the 'hippie days'.  It was then it became a bigger part of my life. I worked in a needlework shop for a few years in the 70s, because I was a very accomplished hooker, and it was there I learned to knit. I also learned several types of embroidery. Like knitting, you can never know it all because of the many and varied types of embroidery.

In 1987 I joined the local Needlepoint Guild and fell in love with 'art needlework'.  My first class was a very extensive needlepoint piece of 12 Amish Quilt designs.  I loved it so much that it took me only 5 months to complete. From then on I took every class I could and traveled to do so when possible.  In 1991 I was introduced to Japanese Embroidery and studied it for 10 years. The teacher who taught this technique had a big impact on my life, as did the this form of embroidery.  It taught me so much about the process, and the discipline needed, to enjoy the journey of life.

One of the thrills during my needlework years was being asked to design and stitch a stocking for the White House Christmas Tree (as were 4 embroiderers from every State).  It was an honor and I was invited to the White House, with 10,000 others, to view the many beautifully decorated trees.  I found my stocking on the Blue Room tree and a friend was able to snap a picture.  I also did a large piece of embroidery for our Governor's Mansion (a dining room valance).

Much of the needlework I've done has been given away to family members.  My album, Needles With Eyes, has many of the 'smalls' I enjoyed stitching during the years that I studied counted thread. Several of my walls are covered with needlework but, only this piece, The Basketman, is in my living room. It is the one I love most of all.

For the last few years I have stitched only Santa's as Christmas decorations or teaching pieces. I have stayed  involved in the stitching community by teaching and also as founder of a local Sampler Guild.  Teaching has been a very enjoyable experience. My student's work is very diverse and they are all such lovely ladies.  All the years of study are put to use in guiding the students through the embellishment of painted canvases. The students challenge and delight me. I teach classes regularly and love to watch as each person grows and becomes a better stitcher.  They say a teacher is successful when a students abilities surpass their own.  My students certainly have accomplished that. You can see two examples below.

Margaret's Geisha

Iva Dene's Tea Ceremony

Late in 2000 I began to suffer with an upper back problem  which made it very uncomfortable to bend over an embroidery frame.  It was then I turned to knitting (which had been a part of my life since 1974) with a vengeance.  In 2004, when I started this blog, the desire to embroider evaporated almost entirely. I enjoy being a part of the needlework community and will continue to be involved.  I may knit at the meetings instead of stitch but, it is the people I go to see.

Enjoy your weekend. While March is a very unsettled month, the weather man did say that meteorological winter is over!

Comments

[Jane]

I enjoyed your E so much! Your embroidery is so very beautiful (it *almost* makes me want to pull out the box of threads and bits of linen that have been languishing in a trunk for 20 years). Thank you for writing about it!

[Lucia]

That is gorgeous stuff, Margene, both your own work and your students'. I also learned to embroider quite young, but I never achieved anything remotely approaching your skill.

[Laura]

What a beautiful and meaningful "E" entry for you Margene. It certainly brings back memories for me of my mother teaching me to embroider, my earliest projects, and the larger "art" type projects later. People evolve in so many ways for so many reasons - thanks for sharing this part of yourself!

[Kim]

This has been my favorite "along" post. What lovely lovely work. I love the quilt sampler!

[Cara]

Wow! I'm so impressed! My only experience with needlepoint was one I did for a boyfriend when I was in high school. It was a guy at a drafting table because he wanted to be an architect. It was a Herculean effort for me to finish it, but I did and had it framed and I think about it to this day. Did he keep it? Did he take good care of it?

[Beth]

All of your work is gorgeous Margene! No matter the discipline - you bring new meaning to the phrase 'master of arts.' (that's plural - you see)

[Sarah HB]

Wow, my embroidery NEVER looked like that1

Have a great weekend.

[Kim]

Hehe, I love to hear you say you're an "accomplished hooker!"

When I was younger, I spent an entire summer in a hospital with a nasty, nasty illness. My grandma taught me to cross-stitch so that I would have something to pass the time while I fought to get better. I don't cross-stitch as much as I used to, but I still really enjoy it. I've always wanted to learn needlepoint, but you know how it goes--so many hobbies, so little time!

[Rachel H]

The breadth of your talents continues to amaze and inspire. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[Tracy]

You are one talented lady. Do you ever think you'll swing back to embroidery now your back is a little better? I know you wouldn't stop knitting but I think with a talent like yours and the amount of time/studying you've spent creating these beauties, it would be a hard thing to give up.

[Michele]

My Grandmother taught me embroidery when I was 6. I go back to it from time to time. Your embroidery is exquisite.
Who was President when you stitched the Christmas Stocking for the Whitehouse? Did you meet him or the First Lady? Did you see the private quarters or only the part reserved for the public? I think that is very cool - and what an honor!

[Kathleen]

I posted about samplers today. My mom taught me in high school. I still have a project I need to get back to--just can't find the right linen. Lovely E! Thanks.

[Carole]

You stole my E! But yours is so much better so it's okay. Really beautiful work, Margene.

[stitchnsnitch]

Your work is beautiful!!!

[Kim]

Judy told me that you teach embroidery---how wonderful to see some of your work! And what an honor, creating for the White House Christmas Tree--wow!

Beautiful post--thank you for sharing.

[hillary]

I really enjoyed this entry. Your work is beautiful and I especially love the amish quilts. That's a project that would appeal to me if I had your gifts. As it is, I used to cross-stitch (how unimaginative) before I discovered knitting. Now that I've found such rewards through knitting and knit-blogging I could never go back to it. How unfortunate for all of the unfinished objects in my cabinet!

[Kelly]

Margene how awesome! OH I'm in looove with the basket man, your work is fantastic!!! I do cross stitch but have never tried embroidery, can you come teach me??? :) I only want to be taught by the best you know!
This post was a delight to read and feast my eyes on. FABULOUS FABULOUS!!!

[marie in florida]

hehehe my own embrodery never went much past the hearts and flowers on my jeans stage. i'm working now around such beautiful kits that i want to try it again. some of the kits are painted canvasas to embellish with embroderie. you are an inspiration.

[janine]

Your Embroidery is beautiful, It is amazing how many of us move from one craft to another. I too embroidered for many years, I had my own cross stich design business and also was one of the regular stitchers on the Guernsey Millenium Tapestry which consists of 10 panels each depicting one century in the history of our island. Have a lovely weekend.

[Kim]

Thanks for taking us on yor journey! I love how you describe yourself as "studying" your crafts. This is how I view my knitting. My family asks why I have so many knitting books - I use them for "study" more than patterns. You have always been an inspiration to me and now I know why. Thanks so much for sharing

[Anne]

But us in the world are knitting are glad you jumped in with both feet! :)

I was wishing for a few more days like yesterday, but it doesn't sound like tonight and tomorrow will be quite so spring-like around here.

[Chris]

Amazing stuff, Margene. Wow. And how cool about the White House Christmas stocking!! Sure am glad you're a knitter now. :)

[Beth S.]

Oh my goodness, Margene. Your Basketman is stunnning! And the quilt sampler is a beautiful interpretation of that 'other' kind of needlework. I see why you cherish those pieces.

[Winnie]

You're one talented lady!!! Your embroidery is so beautiful!

[Cindy]

The incredible beauty of it. I cross stitched a blue on white Williamsburg scene. I also did a Siamese cat. I enjoyed it, but found it hard on my eyes. I still love to look at it and do I needlepoint (I have alot of that) when the St Louis summers get too hot to knit (and they do). The geisha blew me away. The basket man was hard to see. What did you use? It looks like it shines, or is that just the light?

[Snow]

I don't think I'd gone through all your photos in that album before, Margene. What lovely work!

My skills are limited to knitting and spinning, but mostly knitting.

[Stephanie]

Absolutely gorgeous work. I'm so amazed by your talent and so happy you chose to share it with us.

[--Deb]

Ooh, your embroidery is gorgeous. And, the White House Christmas Tree? How very cool is that!!

[wool winder]

I remember my first embroidery project was an iron-on of a cluster of grapes on a muslin tea towel (Aunt Martha's probably). My mom taught me the outline stitch. I was probably about the same age as you were. I remember being very proud when I finished.

[rebecca]

i loved looking at all the pictures!
i bought my 6 yr old daughter a 'my first embroidery' kit yesterday. she can already knit and crochet... but not with much enthusiasm, although she likes to craft, so we thought embroidery will be the next to learn... maybe this will be her passion (yes, i know she is 6...but she has a great desire to LOVE what she is working on)

[Kim]

Hurray for bringing out the embroidery :) You have some beautiful pieces. The Basketman is done with metallics?--those are the bane of my existence. I have the worst time getting some of my metallic threads to lay flat. My interest in cross stitch waxes and wanes, but my appreciation for the effort that goes into the needlework is always there. Thanks for sharing :)

[Kathy]

What incredibly gorgeous work! So sorry you can't really work on it anymore, but then that gave you knitting so it's all good :-)

[sleevelessinsu]

Beautiful!

[Marcia]

Wonderful post and exquisite work, Margene! My "presidential" needlework story pales in comparison: while visiting family on an island in Maine, I realized that another visitor was working on some needlepoint. It turned out to be the cover for the Clinton "kneeler" in the National Cathedral. I think the woman was wife of the Secretary of the Army, or something. Anyway, she let us each make a few stitches in the Clinton kneeler. I do not brag about it often, heehee.

[Martha]

I used to embroider my mom's jeans. She loved it--made her look hip! Sometimes I actually miss those days. You know? When the coolest, hippest thing in the whole world was to have handsewn wild-ass embroidery on your plain old Levis (not $200 designer pairs with strategically placed machine-made rips)? The crazier you dressed, the hipper you were.

heehee Clinton "kneeler"--I wasn't thinking about embroidery. Shame on me, mind in the gutter!

[lisa Co. Springs]

Wouldn't it be interesting to find out how many knitters were/are accomplished in another medium? I did counted cross stitch for may years and crocheted a bit before falling into the knitting vortex. Your embroidery is breathtaking, by the way.

[Cathy]

Lovely "E", Margene.

[Peg]

The Basketman - what can I say? It is such a work of art, Margene! I can see why it still lives in your own home. In the first part of your note today, you talked about being a hooker and I was not sure if that was a term used in embroidery. I am a rug hooker, but just now, like you the knitting needles have taken over my life! Even books are laying silent at the moment!! I, too, did embroidery and still have my floss boxes! I heard a woman on radio the other day say that you learn far more about any skill when you teach it!!

[Jennifer]

Very beautiful embroidery. My mother taught me as well. I did a lot of embroidery when I was a child, but now it's knitting for me.

[michaele]

wow! that geisha embroidery could even tempt me to get into it! All I ever did was cross stitch. Still have lots of projects I'll probably never do stuck away in a drawer!

[carole]

What a cool E! I had no idea-- very beautiful work!

[claudia]

Very beautiful work. And Happy Blogiversary! AND, very cool new look. Red, of course, is a WONDERFUL COLOR for an umbrella.

[Sara*]

An "accomplished hooker," eh? Learn something new every day ...

I do like the Basketman, but I think the geisha is my favorite ... All those colors, and the history to go with them. Fabulous work, dear Friend!

[Liz]

Your E is so gorgeous. The basket man, he is amazing, so intricate and so much depth to him. My grandmother taught me to embroider, as well as knit, and I did a few store bought patterns, and moved on to some original pieces, but I haven't done any embroidery in a long long time.

Thanks for the stories and the reminder.

[Imbrium]

Pardon me while I bask in the beauty of your work (and your students'.)

[Lana]

E is also for EXQUISITE! Wow Margene!!! Thank you for sharing this. It makes me want to do some counted cross stitching:D

[JILL]

WOW!! love the asia stuff.

[Birdsong]

I can see why the Basketman remains your favorite... I loved getting this glimpse into the past you usually only refer to in passing. I too embroidered off and on for many years, and also have let my passion for knitting lead me away. It was a great "E".

[Norma]

Just beautiful. You are so multi-talented. I'm still wracking my brain for an E thing that I feel appropriately strongly about.

[Pat K]

Again, a beautiful post. Creativity is a wonderful thing, and it seems to find so many outlets. Your "studies" are tremendous, I'm in awe. Thank you for sharing.