The Embroideress

Well, goodness dearie, I'm barely squeezing in under the wire. It's not yet midnight, January 31 in Tennessee.

I've been thinking a good deal about Sharon's challenge to us for January:

"The key concept for January is a feeling we have all had, the feeling of admiration for another. Ask yourself who do you look up to and admire? Why? What is it you admire about them? This is a the first Take it Further challenge in 2008. Take the idea, develop it into a resolved design during that month and apply it to fiber or paper."

I was born during a chaotic time, a time of war. In 1942 my father had been conscripted and was stationed in Texas, my mom was in Kansas with her mother and I was born in the white house across from the Christian Church. My mom went to Texas shortly to be with my Dad and except for occasional periods of living with my parents, I was "raised up" by my grandmother, Hazel Hefley Reddick.

Grandma Hazel (or often just Gram) was a woman of intellect, determination and practicality. She attended Normal Training and taught in one-room schoolhouses prior to her marriage. The picture of her is at age 20, just prior to her marriage.

One of my fondest memories of her were the down-to-earth aphorisms she voiced. I have no idea where some of them came from. For example: That's a whole lot better than a sharp stick in the eye; As soon as I get rid of something, someone asks me for it; There's more than one way to kill a cat besides choking it to death with cream.

One of my favorites was: Three moves or one fire will clean a house. An adaption of this theory is my TIF offering for January. It especialy appeals to me as I'm moving for the second time in just a few years and shedding a good deal of "stuff" in the process.

I decided that an old-fashioned motto sampler was the best way to memorialize this concept but I did make it a little less dire than Gram's house cleaning tip. I've done the design featuring one of her favorite colors. Not stitched yet, but it will eventually hang in my new kitchen. I'm thinking of stitching it up on perforated paper.

Labels: Motto Sampler; Hazel Hefley Reddick; Take It Further