mainely stitching

So, continuing yesterday’s exploration of how the economic situation has affected your hobby, I’d like to start out today with a give away of the Carriage House Samplings chart Thine Forever, a gorgeous design that I really, really enjoyed stitching. I stitched this for as a wedding gift for my BIL using the suggested NPI silks on Legacy linen. The chart is in excellent condition. Just leave a comment and I’ll do a random drawing when I write my next post.

Speaking of spirit, I’ve been reading up on Quakers. You know, when you scratch the surface, the religion is really nothing at all like I’d imagined. I’d sort of mixed them up with the Amish and the Shakers, even though I know they’re a different faith, and I had other misconceptions. I had no idea the early Quakers, or Friends, as they should rightly be called, were such fire-brands. These people were true rebels, unafraid of being jailed and ridiculed for their beliefs. Women in the Society of Friends were instrumental in the suffragette movement, culminating in American women being granted the vote. Did you know that Susan B. Anthony was a Quaker? I didn’t! (And yes, I’m embarassed to admit it!) There are some very cute student excerpts about this here that you might enjoy reading. Far from a quaint collection of oddly-dressed people, these were true movers-and-shakers whose impact on the world we live in today has gone unmarked. Why is that?

The reason I’ve been reading up on the Society of Friends has to do with some birds who’ve temporarily roosted here. I wanted to explore the Quaker designs in a different way – Quaker cross stitch has been done, and done well, but these birds are different. Each bird is named for a true historical Friend and comes with a brief biography. I’d hoped to introduce you to Alice Paul today, but we were very short-handed at the food pantry and I wound up spending time there rather than stitching. I hope you’ll check back in with me tomorrow and that I’ll be able to show her to you then.

I’m finally caught up on blog reading. You guys have to slow down – I’m having a hard time keeping up!