Our Grandmother's Art

A few years ago our Mama and Grandmama were at a quilting convention in Chicago. Our Grandmama was there to accompany our Mama, hoping to get in some great American shopping. While looking at all the embroidered red work quilts, our Grandmama became very critical.  She said that the stitches were sloppy and the pieces unfinished. Our Mama asked her how she happened to know all of this? As to our Mama's knowledge her mother had never shown interest in quilting or sewing. Grandmama proudly said that she learned at her mother's knee and if her mother were here and saw this sloppy work, she would have made these artists undo everything. Our mama was surprised at this hidden discovery and so bought her a few panels to work at. All of us were blown away by the hidden talent of our Grandmama!  She is a Very Skilled Embroidery Artist!! Her stitches are so precise, it looks as if she has drawn the lines with her thread.

This past year has been a challenging one as she has been grieving the loss of her son, but through it all her art has grown. Our Mama has been providing her lots of work, and through her grief she has been embroidering the most beautiful pieces. Her hand stitched pieces are so lovely, we just had to share. Embroidering is a lost art these days, as we now have machines that can do it for us. It is one that we hope to continue. If you are interested in learning how to embroider, or need a neat gift for your artsy lady, check out these etsy shops here and here.