Thursday 7 September 2017

Slow stitching and thoughts of Journal's













“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment
 until it becomes a memory.”

Dr Seuss






Whilst sat here in my stitchery room with my first coffee of the day earlier this morning I  was
thinking about sewing, fabrics, little stitches as I do and idly watching out of the window at the early goings on of our gorgeous wildlife.  I am still seeing bumbles finding the last bit of pollen in our still budding sweet peas.  Miss Muddy Beak about her daily toil of finding the plumpest of worms for her breakfast and the robin sat surveying the garden sat on one of shepherd hooks.

The garden is changing daily from Summer to Autumn and those pesky arachnids are making webs everywhere out there and scaring the life out of me.  To go down to our compost bins is like running the gauntlet for me right now and I am like a rabbit caught in the headlights .... shivering writing
this!

The days are drawing in and it is darker of a morning now so I light my candles and sit with my warm drink and ponder of things.  The smell of my candles fills the air and I have to admit being in full Autumn swing here ... it is my favourite season and I love every part of it.

My thoughts turned to a journal. I am going to journal my way around our holiday this year and
writing everything in it.  What I see, where we go, what we do, who we meet, the leaves and changing colours and every place we visit and the last drop of this adventure.  Having not been to America for two years now it has made me long for it and I want to remember and look back on this and be able to read it again when I miss it.

Do not worry I am not thinking we will never go back but next year we have decided on a new adventure already and it will be Canada and we want to go to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
We know where we want to stay and we will hopefully be meeting our lovely American friends there too.  So you see I know this holiday will be it for a while in New England in the Fall.

I have a journal ready and it has a pull out pocket in it for collecting things along the way ( not the leaves, they will be pressed between the pages) ... It is a blank page journal ( no lines ) and that enables me to do a little sketch or doodle on a page should I wish to.  It has a band that ties about it so nothing will fall out and will keep all my American treasure or keepsakes safe and secure.  Leaves pressed into pages need to stay there and not move about too much.


May I suggest that you write, that you keep journals, that you express your thoughts on paper…You will bless the lives of many—your families and others—now and in the years to come.”

Gordon B Hinckley.


The quote above inspired me and I thought with today's text, email and mobile phone contact how lovely it would be to have something in ink on paper.  My handwriting for future generations to come and something special to leave behind.  

Having found at my Mums house a beautiful card from my late Father to my Mother thanking her for me on my birth and tucked inside a little card from the flowers he sent her that day as well - with an addition of my baby weigh card and it was like gold to me.  I have to confess, shaking and a few tears because I had never seen it before, It made me think that things like these are precious and if my Mum or Dad had left a journal with their handwriting in I would have been over the moon.  So it starts with me for others in the future.

Then I thought about a journal about my stitching too with samples of little bits of fabrics and my thoughts, ideas and general thoughts on things so I am starting two journals to end this year and to start the new one with as well.  A holiday one and slow stitching one.  It will be different to my design journal as it will be more explanations, thoughts and writing about what I am doing etc.  This is my
half year resolution! 

Starting a cross stitch picture this week too I have had the pattern for a while and wanted to start it so that is something that I might take with me to continue on holiday.  In addition to all this I am still cutting out my hexagons and diamonds for the Winter Star wall quilt and I am looking forward to evenings sat by the fire stitching around those.  Its .becoming Hygge weather and for me, although I adore our seasons here in Britain I do love the cosy days and nights.


I have to choose which cross stitch pattern to follow as well as I have a little pile of corkers! I adore them all and I will use the hand dyed shaker threads to stitch them.  I am going to go through them and look at what colours are needed.  The time will be now to write a list of colours I need if I do not have them, so I can pick them up at Quilted Threads when I go.

Our forever home will have to be big and have lots of walls for me to put up all the samplers, cross stitch and treasures I have framed.  I like a picture wall in some rooms and think it homely and cosy. Not for everyone some like minimal but I am not one of them.  I hate clutter by organised chaos that is me ...

Well that is me for today I must get on with today's tasks in hand and I hope you have a wonderful day too and as always .....

Happy Stitching! XX












10 comments:

  1. Do you know that is one thing I have never been able to do.... Keep a journal, no matter how much I try boredom gets the better of me and I forget to enter things, or I've made mistake, and I don't like making mistakes in writings I want to keep neat. Perhaps in my new book you kindly sent I will write on paper and stick or pin in my work.

    Julie xxxxxxxx

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    Replies
    1. Hi Julie

      Well the journal is for using so that would be a great idea. Something for you to look back on and a great heirloom I always think.

      I hate making mistakes but sometimes I write rough notes to copy in ... that helps me.

      I hope you have a lovely day.

      Sarah xxxxx

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  2. Hi Sarah, I used to keep a journal of sorts, more of a scrapbook really of poems, thoughts, tickets from exhibitions and shows. I love looking at it now but haven't done it for years. Not having children to leave it to makes it less pleasurable, nobody will ever care about it. Will your children treasure yours? Are they like-minded? Xxx

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    Replies
    1. Dawn

      Do you have nieces or nephews, cousins? Someone will love your journal Dawn.
      I think that loving parents history comes with a little age but I think mine may be treasured..

      Take pleasure in your own history.. others will love it ... I have collected things over the years that are not my families, they were throw away people! ( feeling faint about that but true) but I treasure what I have anyway ..
      Hugs
      Sarah xxxx

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  3. Princ Edward island Is beautiful x

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    Replies
    1. Diane

      So I hear and can not wait to go!
      Have you been?
      Sarah xx

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  4. Hi Sarah yes we did Martha's Vineyard, Boston, Bar Harbour, Sidney, Halifax, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Montreal in the fall of 2014. I wanted to go to Concord to the home of Louisa May Alcott but we didn't have time unfortunately. X

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    Replies
    1. How wonderful, some of those names are the same as in New Hampshire etc where we are going this year!

      Sarah xx

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  5. I'm playing catch up - I love the idea of a journal for your trip. What a lovely thing to look back on in the future. I do wish I had something like that from my parents. My dad is passed but I've been thinking about giving my mum a journal and asking Her to write about her life - parents, aunts, cousins and events, whilst she can. Mo xxx

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    Replies
    1. Hello Mo

      Lovely to see you back here, you have been so busy I know.

      About giving your mum a journal - oh yes do it and asap because you just never know, just do not wait and then you will have in her own handwriting the stories of your family and she will remember things from your Fathers family too I should suspect.

      I would love something like that but now sadly it is to late, my Mum just could not do it.

      I am loving getting my holiday journal together.

      Take Care

      Sarah xxxxx

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