To be or not to be perfect

I have done cross-stitch for many years and love the feeling of creating something totally by hand. And for a long time I have wanted to learn how to embroider.  It seems such an elegant past time, reminiscent of days when homemaking and all the skills that went with it were cherished in a way that seems absent today.

In that strange way that life hands you something at the perfect moment, I spoke to a lovely lady named Shelley at a local market which runs once a week at the place I work. Shelley was selling beautiful embroidered goods and as we chatted it came about that she taught classes not far from my home. And with that I committed.

Last night was my first class.  As luck would have it, due to a virulent flu bug, there were only two of us so I received a good deal of attention from Shelley.

I learned chainstitch, French knots, and Colonial knots. I started my first project, a small sunflower that will decorate a purse.  As I stitched, ungainly, uneven, slightly wonky chainstitch, I had to remind myself repeatedly that it was my first class and I didn't need to be perfect.  I repeat this mantra to my children constantly to encourage them to persevere and not give up. And it seems it is a lesson I need to learn too.

What better way to learn life's deepest lessons than with needle and thread in hand!

                                            The beginning