New life for an old stitchery

My mom is an accomplished knitter, but she did try her hand at stamped cross-stitch once.  She made a pillow from a kit.  The cross-stitching was done with yarn, which may be why it appealed to her.

The pillow was finished back in the 1970’s sometime, and was part of our family room decor for years.  Naturally, a certain amount of wear and tear was endured until my mom finally put the pillow away.

When my folks were downsizing their belongings in preparation for their move, we found the pillow.  Years in the attic had not done anything to improve its appearance.  It looked tired.  Mom was reluctant to part with her handwork, but she knew  the old pillow had served its purpose and that there was no place for it in their new home.

My fast-thinking sister took a pair of scissors, cut away  the cross-stitched portion of the  pillow top, and  quickly stuck it in her bag without my Mom seeing it.  She brought it home and gently hand washed it.  The colors were renewed, and the background fabric shed it’s coat of dust.

My sister gave me the stitchery to see what I could do with it.  This is what it looked like when I got it:


And here is what it looks like now:

I found an apple green fabric in the home dec department that really gave a fresh look to the colors. Then I sashed it like a quilt block, popped in a brand new pillow form, and gave it a fresh start.

We are going to give it to Mom at her upcoming birthday.  I can’t wait to see what she thinks.


Today I am grateful for:
      A quick thinking sister who saw the possibilities in my Mom’s handwork.