Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

about-tulips
Tulips

Another year has gone by. Mother’s Day is around the corner. Those of us fortunate enough to have a special mom, mother-in-law, wife, or grandmother in our lives need to come up with gift ideas.  I am confident the special woman in your life owns enough mugs and perfume. I imagine she will not appreciate extra calories from exotic Belgium chocolate.  I am sure she will be offended if you buy her oven mitts or a new apron.  If you still want to be on speaking terms, do not buy a new food processor or iron.  Take if from me.  I am a daughter, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, but I am also a mom a few times over.  What I would like most is a new needlepoint canvas designed in 2015.  Okay, 2014 is also fine.  But I don’t want anything old and outdated.  I prefer modern, unique, classy, and original.  I adore bold colors yet something strikingly feminine.  I seek uncomplicated, stress-free solace in my needlepoint choices.  I would even consider something personal like a customized design.

 

The Bride’s Present for her Groom

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Today a lovely young bride brought in her finished Afikoman Bag for us to photograph. She is married less than a month, and this is a surprise Passover gift for her husband to use at their first Passover Seder together.  Her grandmother is an old friend of mine and actually purchased the needlepoint canvas for her granddaughter as a graduation gift.  The young woman rapidly completed the afikoman bag.  When she got engaged, she then bought stitched a coordinating matzoh cover and pillow set. They are all ready now, and Passover is next week.  What a heartwarming gift!  All those hours she spent stitching and stitching…. I almost wish I can see the groom’s face when he gets his handmade heirloom-to-be.

The Dress that Broke the Internet

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So there’s this dress that broke the internet with a debate.  Most see it as blue and black while others view it as white and gold.  Aha, a controversy. This sounds familiar… When I create a new needlepoint design and match colors… well, let’s just say that people see things differently. For example, DMC 834.  Is it gold, or yellow, or green gold?  Which one is navy – 939 or 823?  Is 318 grey or blue?  And, no, I don’t mean dye lot. I am not even going there. That’s another debate altogether.

It’s fascinating to examine identical finished needlepoint canvases that were sold at two separate shops.  Most of the time, they will resemble one another, but not always.  The way the stitcher “sees” and interprets the design may be so different that the finished designs look like distant cousins.

 

Friday the 13th?

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Do people still believe that Friday the 13th brings bad luck?  Personally, I think February 29th is worse.  If you are born on the leap year day, you hardly ever get to celebrate your birthday properly.

According to snopes, Friday the 13th can be traced back to many generations ago. Individuals avoided all sorts of activities on that day.  It is considered an “ancient superstition.”   Some declared Friday as a day of bad luck in general.  Read more at http://www.snopes.com/luck/friday13.asp#tUae8y6XsYcsXWhU.99

Excerpt from snopes:

“Friday was also said to be a particularly unlucky day on which to undertake anything that represented a beginning or the start of a new venture, thus we find references to all of the following activities as endeavors best avoided on Fridays: Needleworking: “I knew an old lady who, if she had nearly completed a piece of needlework on a Thursday, would put it aside unfinished, and set a few stitches in her next undertaking, that she might not be obliged either to begin the new task on Friday or to remain idle for a day.”   (1883)”

 

 

Eugene Chernin is Closing

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I’ll miss you, Eugene Chernin.  You believed in me when I had this tiny business all those years ago.  You gave me wings to fly and soar. You gently taught me the ropes about pearl cotton #3 and #5.  Recently you opened a website, and I was able to place my orders online.  Nevertheless, there was always someone warm and friendly to talk to.  I knew my orders were taken care of.  You had that old fashioned charm.

So thank you, my friends George and Mark!  If you ever need any needlepoint canvases, you know where to find me.  Good Luck and like you always said, Zei Gezunt!

The Story Behind My Fancy Pillow

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Audrey Rosner, CPNP, is one of my favorite friends. I was a pediatric patient at her office when I was a little girl, and now care for my children.  Audrey is a grandmother by now, and she stitches a gift for each grandchild. Girls get siddur covers, and boys receive tefillin bags.

Audrey wanted to stitch a weave pattern for her current project.  I reconstructed the stitch from a sample she provided and was intrigued enough to stitch it too.  Barry requested a pillow to coordinate with our brown leather couch.  As I stitched (on a blank canvas, mind you),  I was hesitant since it really looked like nothing special.  But lo and behold, the finisher finished it so awesomely, it is now a stunning addition to my stitched sample menagerie.

And thank you, Audrey!  It is an honor to have you as my customer.