I'll Just Leave This Here

Several times I have mentioned that my stitching journey began with a pre-printed potholder my grandmother gave me to work when I was about 8 years old. I added a little "For Dad" to it and gave it to my father who duly hung it up in his home office.

Years later, after a couple of moves, I no longer saw the potholder on the wall. He and my stepmom had a couple of boys and, of course, all their photos joined ours and their handmade gifts rotated along those walls of the office.

A couple of years ago, when I moved across the world, from Australia, to live near my folks, I asked my dad about the potholder. He couldn't remember where it had gone.

Now, I remember many of the little handmade items my own two children gave me, but I honestly couldn't imagine trying to keep track of a 66 year spread of children's offerings to a parent. 
Then my 90 year old father died just after Father's Day this year. And while looking for some photos in his office, I found a box of mementos. Guess what was inside?

Reunited after 52 years. This potholder set me up to love threads, to love hand work and hand stitching. 

It doesn't take much to fall in love. Just some undivided attention, physical touch, and unconditional love - of warts and all.  

I don't blog much here anymore. My life has taken me out of the business of stitchery into the business of elder-life. My hands are always still working on something, but the magazines I worked for have gone out-of-print or only use in-house designers. And while the SweaterDoll Etsy shop is still active, the drive to manage a home designing business has much waned. 

Currently, I am working in a school with special ed kids as I did so many years ago. I read sci fi and until a couple of weeks ago was enjoying doing the New York Times Acrostic and jigsaw puzzles with my dad. Now I spend time with (step)mom and husband and try to manage my wild woodland yard which is supposed to be less woodland and more residential (it will never happen). 

I might blog again, but in the meantime, I'll just leave this here. THE potholder that started it all.