Beautiful Hand-Stitching

 This past spring when my mother fell and broke her ankle so severely, I knew she would have a hard time "just sitting" for 2 months while it healed. She likes to be active and doing, and has never been one to sit idly.

Instead of sending her flowers I tried to think of a gift to help her wile away the long hours of being immobilized. She has always enjoyed embroidery, so I chose an embroidery kit for this set of pillowcases. I thought the lacy ferns and Queen Ann's Lace flowers were so pretty. Mother's favorite color is green. Not only that, the kit was on sale, which I knew would satisfy her frugal heart!

I selected the skeins of DMC floss the pattern called for, and took the kit along with me when I went to stay with her. The minute I presented it to her, she sent me off to hunt for an embroidery hoop in her sewing room. I never did find the one she described, but I found one that would work, so she got started on them right away.

Being such a detailed, intricate pattern, it turned out to be quite time-consuming. But that was okay, at first, because Mother didn't have much else to do besides just sit. She was still working on the second one when they came to see us earlier this month (though she had been back on her feet for a month or two by then).

She finished that second pillowcase while they were here, and then she presented the set to me! I hadn't meant for her to do that, but she said they went with my quilt so nicely that she wanted me to have them.

I have to admit, they really do. I think they are beautiful! She does such exquisite stitching.

Thank you, Mother, for re-gifting your gift back to me.