First needlework project?

My first piece was a crewl work cross that I won for a Mother's Day Poem. Still have the piece, but not the poem. I think I was about 13 when I did that. Donna

Mirjam Bruck-Cohen said

I'm sure the pictures are a pale imitation of the work. I'm awed by artists who have visions and ideas and the skills to translate them into reality.

For people who are in a hurry, here's the link I found for Mapressions:

I do happen to like the very traditional designs and that is mostly what I have done. My favourite book is the Art of Crewel Embroidery by Mildred J. Davis - her line of thought is pretty much mine.

I suspect the more modern designs are not done in wools. One lovely one I saw at an exhibition here, very modern, was done in silks and the same thing done in wool would not have been nearly as effective. Crewel was a type of wool used in embroidery, hence the name I believe.

Likely some stamped (iron-on) piece, over 40 years ago. And as far as I know, it isn't still around.

A 5x7 needlepoint of a fish among sea grass. Still have it, dirty and warped as it is! ;-) I think I was about 7 when I did it.

Eighth grade. A quarter of sewing; a quarter of cooking; a quarter of sewing, a quarter of cooking. The first sewing project was a sleeveless dress; the second a simple A-line skirt. Cooking was so memorable that I can remember only a nasty mayo salad, learning egg-in-the-hole from a friend, and being chastised by the teacher for "measuring" a teaspoon of salt in the palm of my hand. No stitching of any kind beyond the machine-sewn "clothing." After that experience, there was no way I'd get anywhere near "home ec" in high school.

Lucretia Borgia said

I offended you, please accept my apology. It wasn't my intention to cast aspersions at anyone who takes pleasure in stitching traditional designs.

No you definitely did not offend me. Good heavens, we must be able to discuss our likes and dislikes, I just happen to like traditional where crewel is concerned, but have admired some modern too. I think I choose to work traditional because I prefer them, but it doesn't mean I dislike modern.

The modern piece I loved was designed and worked by a woman who lives about an hour away from here. She is a wonderful needlewoman and it seems to me she called it The Birth. Apart from the broken egg shell, nothing was a recognisable shape but the colours, the radiations etc. all were very indicative of something emerging. The piece was probably about four by three foot, very striking. Certainly a piece that could not be denied as a totally valid piece of crewel while not in the least traditional.

On Fri, 07 Oct 2005 21:53:23 GMT, Lucretia Borgia muttered something like:

Absolutely! I've never been a big fan of florals or samplers, but I can certainly respect the opinions of those who do like those things. I've seen plenty of florals and samplers where I didn't care much for the picture itself but greatly admired the quality of the work done.

-Bertha

Did you have to make Tuna A La King? I found it so obnoxious in cooking class that I have never set a forkful to my mouth since. All I remember is white tunafish, swimming around in white cornstarchy sauce, and green peas floating in the whole mess like pebbles. We also made cinnamon toast and cocoa from scratch. It was awful and definitely not what I wanted to know.

Of course, you forgot to say if your classes were like mine, only for girls. The boys did the fun stuff like woodworking and electrical wiring and things like that.

Lucille

Hah! There were not any boys at our school !

I went to a plain public school and we had boys, but anything other than academic classes were segregated. How unfair that the boys didn't even take typing, since they all needed to learn so they could use computers. But that was considered girl's work back in the dark ages.

How times have changed!

Lucille

Lucretia Borgia said

Purists might insist that crewel is a certain style worked only in wool. Personally, I loathe, despise, deplore labeling and pigeonholing (insert an emoticon here).

Thankfully we were spared that one. I did have a roomie in college who mixed canned tuna into box Macachee. bleh.

Back in the mid-'60s, you bet they were all female. Wood shop? Metal shop? "Girls don't do that." They didn't do auto shop, come high school, either.

But, of course, the year *after* I graduated....

How I wish we had stitching in Home Ec!!! We had sewing half the year and cooking the other half - I despiiiiiiiiised sewing but didn't mind the cooking all that much (how many ways did we make bran muffins?) - but those bloody hairnets that we had to wear!!! Gad - and the boys could see us from 'manual training' - (horrors!!!) - woodworking, which I would've loved to be doing.

Sharon (N.B.) ..............................................................

I had a choice, French or Home Ec. I wanted metal shop but was shouted down by my dad. With a little support from home, I might have been able to twist the principal around.

Cheryl

Yup!

The girls and boys used to change around in later years (girls did woodwork, boys did cooking) I think they still do.

Pat P

My son is 44 now and by his time the girls could take Industrial Arts or the boys Home Ec. He did do Home Ec. (he was good when it came down to fights ) because he always liked cooking and had seen his grandfather cooking and so thought he would like to learn more.

In the event, he learned more from his grandfather, Home Ec had not changed much.