A few years ago - long before we opened Threads of Time, I read a book called "Ahab's Wife." In one memorable passage, the heroine remembers her mother:
"I thought of the miles and miles of thread that her nimble fingers pulled through cloth. What song had her needle sung to the fabric? .....If all the thread from all her quilts were measured, would it stretch a thousand miles? Had her needle trudged, as a man's foot might trudge, a thousand miles?"
We all know that in a woman's hands, there's strength, power, and beauty on the point of needle. So I ask you, who have you known in your lifetime that has trudged miles with her needle? Who do you know that has made a needle "sing?"
Pay her tribute here. Tell us about the women who have inspired you with their sewing and their miles of thread.
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7 comments:
My grandmother, whom I didn't know because she died when I was young. But, my father told me how she spent hours cutting and sewing up little pieces of material to make a quilt. She made a grandmother flower garden quilt, the pieces were no bigger then his thumb nail. That certainly took miles of thread to do that.
I love your store and come as often as possible! I don't live nearby, but the trip to your shop is well worth it. You have such a wonderful selection of fabrics and everyone in your shop is so friendly and helpful. I will be seeing you again soon.
My mother is one of 17 children and I am the oldest of her
4 girls, 3 boys. When we were little, she made almost all of our clothes. She also did sewing, alterations, and repairs for other people to make extra money. She's an excellent seamstress. During my entire childhood she owned only one sewing machine, an old Singer treadle. She often had to wait until we were all in bed to sew.
The clickety-clack sound of that old machine put us to sleep on so many nights that if we didn't have it as "white noise", it became almost impossible to fall asleep.
I'd be willing to bet that my mother probably "peddled" a million miles of thread through that old machine!
Dorothy
My grandma's home was where we stopped after school. We would arrive to her sitting at her quilt frame that stretched across her dining room. She sat in an old rocking chair that would creak as she quilted. She would quilt as she listened to us practicing the piano.
I have recently purchased from you, the Janome 11000 sewing/embroidery machine and I am so excited! I can't wait to learn how to use it to it's full extent. I am looking forward to the class with Dakota Collectibles you will be sponsoring Dec. 8, I'm sure I will learn amazing things!
Missy, I am so glad to find your blog. You have a sweet shop and you and your spouse are very helpful and kind. Along the lines of stitching, albeit not quilting, tonight I laundered a very special tablecloth for my Thanksgiving table. My Mom will press it for me in the morning before we lay the table. My paternal Grandma died in 1964. I wasn't quite 6 years old but have very clear memories of her and her loving, tender hands. She was unable to read crochet patterns but she was able to "read" a crocheted item and reproduce it. Mom often crocheted things so that Grandma could also crochet them. My Dad has been gone for 16 Thanksgivings, but his Mother's tablecloth will grace our table tomorrow. Mom will press it for me in the morning before we set the table. She told me tonight that it was my Grandmother's wedding gift for my Mom and Dad. I'm 50 years old and didn't know that until tonight. There are hundreds of yards of crochet thread in that cloth and I know that Grandma crocheted many miles in her life. I am blessed and thankful to have a bit of them to hold in my hands and remember her loving hands that every inch of that thread slipped through.
My friends and I spent the day at Threads of Time yesterday, just enjoying the friendly atmosphere and socializing while sewing and choosing fabrics. We look forward to going back and spending some more sewing time, it's a great idea because there are no "household" interruptions. We can sew to our hearts content!
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