FOR JAN

..................Love of the present, interwoven with memories of the past and dreams of the future............

 

 

This photo of Jan taken many years ago is a favourite one of mine  for it tells a story to me of a young girl  who loved ballet and dancing,  but never to be a star pupil, but her special moment came when she wrote a ballet story for a competition and won, her prize was  two tickets to see the Tchaikovsky Ballet Company perform. Later her story was produced as a ballet by her ballet teacher  and she danced the leading role.

 All mother's hold treasured memories of their children, Jan now many years later has just celebrated her 48th Birthday and so I have 48 years of special memories.

Last year I asked my family to each chose something they would like me to stitch for them- something they might treasure, Jan's was the last of these pieces to be stitched and she chose the Needle roll from With My needle design Miss Trenner's needlework Academy.

 

I changed one word  making it daughter instead of teacher  It was a lovely piece to stitch, I used 35 count Charles craft  linen and stitched with the recommended DMC colours, and have used Doctor Flannel on the inside.  Had fun stitching the little rabbits at night as the thread looked decidedly green to me but knew I was using the right number, next morning in the daylight they had changed to light brown.!

My trip across to Napier to stay with my sister and her husband was so I could attend the class with Ellen Chester of With My Needle, I went across by bus on the Tuesday and had a couple of quiet days before the class which I knew would be a long day the class being from 9am-5pm. Sherelyn of Heirlooms organised the class and she did everything just perfectly it was more than a class it was a special event. Held at the Mission Estate Winery, how appropriate we were stitching Ellen's design Fruits of the Vine. The class was held upstairs in the library and we came down to the restaurant on the front lawn for our lunch and dined in style. Visit  Ellen's blog and you will see the photos she took during the class. The day after the class I made some progress on the needle roll  but there has been no time to stitch on this piece since then.

  

 

 On the Sunday following the class we went on to Tauranga, this was the only wet day during my time away. I stayed with Olwen and Bill till the Friday and these were days catching up with each other , out to lunch one day and a brows in some special shops. a little shopping! a day visit with the Tauranga Guild and here again was meeting up with some very old friends, including Doreen who was one of the first members of the Tokoroa Embroiderers Guild when that Guild was formed in about 1982. Some of the guild memebers are stitching  my mystery sampler and the white work one, one lady brought her work for me to see the progress.

 Another day we went for a drive to Makatu  Beach and enjoyed fish and chips for lunch, The lovely warm weather meant that we could sit out side for breakfast each morning  and by the time I returned home the weather here had that cooler Autumn feel to it.

 I notice the number of followers to my blog have jumped up- welcome to everyone, I hope you will find something of interest from time to time in my postings.

 

The quote at the top of this posting comes from a gift Jan shared with me sometime ago,  I finish with the full quote 

 

The Love between a mother and daughter is a bond

of the strongest kind. it is the love of the present,

interwoven with memories of the past

 and dreams of the future.

It is the wanting of only the best for each other

and wanting to help anytime there is a need.

It is making time for each other to be together

and knowing just what to do and say.

It is an unconditional, forever kind of love.