What to do in cold January...

For some reason, after the holiday rush of December, the overindulgence of gastronomical delights, the intense warmth - soul and body - of family gathering and all the extreme emotions that come with the season, I feel pressed into a sort of stitching hibernation in order to reach a comfortable inner balance. It's not just the hours of hand work and the things that get finished, it's the long hours of pondering, and thought sorting that happen during that time that smooths out the rough edges, and calms my spirit. I look forward to January in that sense. Some may dread that boring 'month after the month before' but I treasure it. It's the perfect month for Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, the books of Mosiah, Alma and Ether, the four Gospels, and some vibrant color in the gray coldness of mid-winter. It's the most healing January therapy I can think of.

To give myself some credit, I did have a reason to work on these things other than just therapy. I teach a class every month on a quilt inspired by the Farmer's Wives from the 1920's and decided to feature some things that they might have done in the depths of the bitter months of winter. These are things they might have made sitting next to a warm fire while listening to the radio shows with their families, along with other mending. I have to think that beauty and color were just as therapeutically important to them in that freezing monochromatic time as it is for me.

I dug out my collection of embroidery floss and added a few more colors. Just looking at all these vibrant shades and envisioning them in finished projects made my fingers itch to start a new project...but I promised myself that I must finish some old ones first. 

I dug out an old pattern I've had for a couple of years and spent a few days listening to some Charles Dickens while I stitched away. It measures about 4 1/2" x 3 1/4" when closed. I love it. It's stitched over 28 count even weave linen over two threads, except for the tiny flowers which are stitched over 1.

I really got into the Biscornu thing too. The word "Biscornu" is derived from a French adjective, meaning skewed, quirky, or irregular. It is pronounced "biss-core-new". A stitched Biscornu is an oddly shaped tuffet or pincushion. I downloaded several cross stitch patterns and finished this one from last year. It's made from two squares, each stitched off center of the other. They make loverly pincushions. Simply adorable.

 

If you haven't realized how addicted I am to this type of therapy by now this next one will certainly spell it out for you. It's a scissor fob. I haven't attached the loop that actually fastens to your scissors but it's supposed to identify your scissors so as not to loose them.

It's about 1 1/4" square and has beads layered to make the blackberry. I just think it's dang cute and will probably turn it into a broach or scarf ring.

This next item was inspired by a blank space left on my wall where a small quilt hung but was borrowed for a quilting display at a local museum. It was designed and sewn while listening to "Mansfield Park". I wanted something springish but I also wanted it to go with the romance of February. I call it "Love Grows". I still have to do a bit of embroidery work and quilt it before I hang it in that blank spot though. It's about 36" square and made entirely from my scrap basket. :)

So there, I must be the most balanced person on the planet by now. I should probably act like it.