Last May, after my dad got out of the hospital for the third time in a month, my brother and I were finally able to talk him and mom into moving from their home of almost sixty years to an apartment in a retirement center. Clearly they were no longer going to be able to take care of a house and yard. The center is a lovely place and they were able to get a very nice apartment overlooking the creek my dad had often fished in as a child. In fact, it was just about two blocks away from the house he was born in.
One of the first things I wanted to do was to bring down a banner to hang in the main hallway outside their front door. When I was teaching the embroidery class at the local quilt shop, I developed a pattern for a 9" x 27" banner with a large embroidery design featured at the top. I had an extra patriotic one which worked for the summer, and then I took down a fall one. I made a new one for Christmas just before Dad died, and then lost my mojo.
I decided this week that I must, must, must get that Christmas one down and pondered what to make. Here I must admit that spring is not my season so I don't have many ideas, but I looked through my designs and then perused my fabrics. I think it was divine intervention, but I found fabrics, four in all, that blended well, including one with tulips. I had looked at a tulip design earlier, and voila, it all came together! I think Mom is going to love it!
Here's some closeups of the design. I was able to match the colors to the tulips in the outer strips of fabric.
Every time I look at this little project, it makes me smile. Those pink tulips are just so springy! And spring is something that has been very elusive so far this year. In fact, we had seven new inches of snow just last week. It's all gone now, but the days are just dark and, well, gloomy. The one exception was yesterday when we actually saw the sun. I felt energized!! Today, not so much.
Well, I did have something else I was going to share, but I think this is long enough, so stay tuned for another post in a day or so!
I love it! I made several wallhangings from that pattern which you shared at embroidery club. (I miss embroidery club.) Like you, I should do it again.
ReplyDeleteWhen my mother moved to the retirement center, her first thought was to personalize her outer door. She made a doll -- one of those designed to dispel the draft. (What do we call those?) Sister Joni carefully attached it to the bottom of the door so that it didn't drag. It worked. Residents noticed and identified Mother with that apartment.
I still have my Christmas things out, in part because it's been too cold to put them away. Time to get to it . . .
When I put the first banner up I checked with the director and he said they encourage people to personalize their "front doors" and make it home. There's a little shelf below where I put the banner and a lot of the ladies put seasonal things on their shelves. It makes it festive and keeps the place from feeling "institutional".
DeleteI only got the last of my Christmas things put away a few weeks ago.