In The Bag

When I was at school in the 1960s, we did lots of needlework. Aged 5 I learned to stitch on Binca, running stitch and cross stitch. At 7 in a different primary school, we did stitching on gingham and made "tidy bags" for our books. At home my grandmother taught me to make doll's clothes. When I was 9 I made a pink felt elephant decorated with stitching, beads and sequins. I even had a child's sewing machine. 

At 19, Mum got a Singer electric machine, and I started using that. She gave away my little hand cranked machine to another child!!

At 11 I learned "magic chain" at school, and made an embroidered apron. Mum kept those school  projects for years [where did they go?] Then I went to the High School. We made little samples of stitching and stuck them in our books...

A piece of machined work, demonstrating different seams, a piece of smocking, and some regular embroidery.

Finally some stitching on Aida - we chose which stitches to use.. Then we had to put those stitches on a long strip of evenweave fabric which was folded into a bag. Cross stitch, herringbone, running, backstitch, greek key, chain...I still have the bag, more than half a century later.

For my most recent contribution to the Cross Country Collaboration I reproduced some of those stitches. In 1966 I used every colour I could find in the teacher's box. In 2023 I just used thread in shades of blue. Stitched first as a girl and 57 years later as a gran.

I am pleased to report that this time, the parcel has arrived safely with Kirsten. Only three sections left to go on this project. What fun it is!