I was talking to some of the people who came to see our show about how tough needlework really is, and one of our members told another story about how durable needlework is. Apparently, when she first got married, she did monograms for his and her towels, which were used routinely. After more than 40 years of marriage, the towels are pretty much worn out, but the stitching is almost like new. She says her husband is the only person she has heard of who uses beautifully monogrammed rags to wash the family car.
I am SOO tired of stitching beautiful bibs for friends babies only to be told "Oh, I couldn't possibly use it. You have no idea how messy babies are; this would never survive washing!"
GRRR! like I would give them something for a baby without making sure all the threads were colorfast and extra well anchored.
Are there any other childless people out there who are sick to death of being treated like an idiot by people with children?
This sentiment I understand, in a way. Being a fairly practical person, I would (personally) never embroider a bib. Milk stains and spit up are difficult to remove, even though the piece is washable. It's rather like embroidered guest towels. They look lovely, but nobody wants to use them. Never mind that they are perfectly utilitarian.
I really do appreciate what you are saying. It is difficult to spend our time doing something we love, and sharing that love with someone else who just doesn't get it.
But again, if you've never been around a lot of babies, you might not understand just how stained up those bibs become. Perhaps if you explained it's a lovely "drool" bib for Sunday best. Maybe make that sentiment known in the accompanying card.
I think parents go through so much that it's hard to imagine someone, who isn't a parent, understanding all that is involved on a minute to minute basis. That's why moms are nervous as heck with their first born until that child is safely out of college and on their own - and even then are nervous. You see, we're learning as we go and never quite sure what's coming next or how we're doing. By the third child, it's a piece of cake. But even then, different child, different personality, and you're never quite sure of yourself. Maybe by the eleventh!
Not off topic at all. A subject appreciated by many here since many of us face this dilemma often.
But maybe it's not for Sunday best. Maybe it's for use and if it gets stained and has to be disposed of, that's fine.
Actually, many of us who don't have children imagine it very well and have made our choice based on that understanding, thank you.
Woah, Dianne! Some moms may feel this way. It sounds like you did and it's interesting as your experience, but to generalize from that experience to say that ALL moms feel that way is just nuts. I know lots of nervous moms and I know lots of moms who aren't nervous at all.
But it's not really a dilemma. A dilemma is a situation in which you will be wrong no matter what you do. Gift-giving doesn't have to be a dilemma. You just have to know your audience.
If you want to make a durable present , why not embroider a piece with child`s name and date of Birth . maybe parents name or place of birth This present will be cherihed for life ,,,,,, Bibs i sew from towel material , absorbs well and nobody is afraid to let it become wet ... mirjam
I think you have missed my main point, Dianne. The idea I am trying to get across is that needlework, if you use the right materials, e.g. DMC or Anchor threads, is *very* tough indeed. There is no need to coddle finished items made with 21st century materials. We often get asked the question about how to wash things we have just finished. The answer to that question is whatever it takes to make it clean. If it is hardly soiled, mild detergent is enough. If it is quite dirty, anything you use is most unlikely to spoil the beauty of the needlework.
Jim is so right. For 3 months I have been trying to clean a sampler that was hanging in my mother's house, exposed to heavy cigarette smoke for nearly 20 years. I first tried soaking in mild detergent and have progressed to machine washing with bleach. While the stain is not completely gone, it looks better and the threads have not lost any of their color nor have the metallics been damaged, and the piece has been through the wash 3 or 4 times now with bleach. That's the beauty of needlework. It looks delicate and gorgeous but is stronger and more durable than most people imagine.
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.