We finished cleaning out my father’s apartment last night. At Christmas he sadly told me that he had finally thrown out the pencil holder I made him out of contact paper and an orange juice can back in kindergarten. It had finally fallen completely apart. Or maybe his cat ate it. I can’t remember the details.
But while sorting through the various pieces of ham radio gear, metal lathing tools, and other such, we found three pieces of embroidery that I had done for him over the years.
The biggest is the cross stitched sailing ship I gave him for his birthday one year. It’s the one and only pattern I ever did from a color chart, and it’s the ONLY color chart I will ever use. No design, no matter how beautiful, is worth the pain I went through trying to identify various shades of brown in that pattern!
In addition, there is the matchbox style box that I made from plastic canvas and perle cotton. He used it to store q-tips in, and obviously pulled on the edge to open it rather than pushing it through the box… The inner box is starting to fall open from use.
And there’s the small sampler I knocked out from scraps in my stash when I wanted to give him a father’s day present and was unemployed.
Not needlework related, there’s the pencil portrait of my mother that I did for him while we lived in California.
Small pieces, mostly. Well loved. He preferred things from me that he could use.. and didn’t really want or need a lot of “things” around him.
I miss him. And it’s hard having these things, as well as his Christmas sweater around right now, although I’m sure I’ll change my mind about that as the heartache starts to heal.
*hugs*
Thanks, Bertha!
These items may be bittersweet now, as you are still grieving. One day they shall evoke warm memories that are wrapped in love.
Best wishes
We found everything I had ever painted or stitched for my grandfather among his things when we died. I know a bit of how you must feel.
Hug.