Welcome dear needlefolk friends! Oh the joy of a relaxing weekend...especially when spent at home with needle & thread! Sharing today is my weekend stitching progress... The border is all set and ready to start adding graceful little flowers, two flower pots are also ready to be filled! I couldn't resist the sweet little doggie, as he reminds me of our loyal Scottie Winston, who passed on earlier this winter at the age of fourteen! This sweet antique reproduction sampler will hopefully be released in the next couple of weeks, and will be titled ~ Catherine.Sheppard.1810. Many more lovely motifs to add, will be sharing another update soon! ☙❧ ~ Needle Wisdom ~ Another of my favorite pass times is reading from the many wonderful needlework reference books that I have such a passion for collecting! I thought it might be inspiring to share some of the interesting history of needle women from days gone by... Plain sewing was so basic to any girl's training that a girl who couldn't sew was considered odd, certainly not ready for marriage. And marriage was not merely a goal in life for a girl...it was her mission! She heard enough derogatory remarks about spinsters (also know as "thornbacks", "stale virgins", "antick virgins", "stale maids", and "old maids") and witnessed enough contemptuous treatment of them to understand very early that if she were to fail to marry, she would bring not only unhappiness but a measure of social disgrace on herself and her family. To win a husband and to serve him well, she had to know how to sew! Moreover, plain sewing provided a woman who had little or no help in her household with an opportunity to sit down for a while and let her mind wander, all the while secure in the knowledge that she was doing something productive, keeping her hands busy! This was an important consideration, for to be idle...was thought to be sinful. ☙❧ Monday Manna... "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger." Proverbs 19:15...KJV ☙❧ May your time be spent working your needle with passion & pride! Happy Monday to all, Tammy
