Blog #82 - One Never Knows & A Sampling of Occasions Exhibition
Thursday, 13 June 2019
I’ve titled this blog as I have, as truly - ‘one never knows what a day may bring forth’.
I finished off my last blog with pics of the signwriting just added to my replacement vehicle. These pics were taken just before I left home to travel south to Takapau to deliver some threads to a customer, and apart from the journey home, I have not driven her since due to being hospitalised immediately on returning home.
I was not feeling very well and my right arm - my stitching arm - was hanging limply at my side and my hand was unable to hold anything and was not responding to any instruction from my brain. A very distressing and unnerving experience.
Emergency Department were fantastic! Seen to immediately - clothes ripped off, needles jabbed into me, monitors slapped all over me, brain scans, chest xrays, blood tests and a video link was set up to the neurosurgeon at the Wellington hospital so that the ED doctor & he could consult directly.
Pleased to relate that my arm began responding to instructions from my brain about midday of the following day, although slow and not very strong and very little strength in the handgrip. One upsetting revelation is that it was discovered that this has not been my first TIA - mini stroke. At least three previous ones and on reflection I can recall when those were but at the time I wasn’t aware of what they were as no dramatic side effects.
Twenty seven hours after admission I was allowed to leave hospital for home to rest. I’ve been quite tired and can’t be bothered doing much. However, I have done a lot of resting and a lot of stitching - thus making my arm and brain work! To date my arm is still quite weak (my handwriting is not as neat as it used to be), and I’m having difficulty with finding some words when I need them and difficulty with calculating things in my head (e.g. thread length required to create a cord of a certain length) which never used to be a problem. They tell me that all should return to normality in time. Hopefully I will be allowed to drive soon. However, I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for answering mine and the many prayers of family and loved ones. We have been shown that my time to go home to glory is not quite yet but that I still have some work to do here on earth before I do go.
To everyone who has sent a card, a gift, an email, a note or telephoned, I sincerely thank you for all your kindness and thoughtfulness. I am truly sorry if you have not received a thank you note or a reply as yet. I am trying to write at least one note or reply a day. Until you hear from me, please accept this “Thank You” in the meantime. I truly have been touched by your love and concern.
My apologies - again - to all the ladies who are waiting for your alphabet letter or letters that you ordered.
When stitching a design one has created, the stitching experience is not quite so relaxing as working another designer’s design, as one has to be constantly checking, and rechecking to see if all instructions and charts are correct and then making adjustments if the design is not correct. I haven’t felt like concentrating to that degree.
Consequently continued stitching an unfinished project - one of Gigi’s designs that I began a couple of years ago : Susie Pierce 1889, and wrote about in Blog #80.
Thrilled to relate that it is finished! Love it. It will be going to the framers as soon as I can drive myself there!
Before the occurrence of my whoopsie, I had planned two events and subsequently I decided they must still be celebrated -
* A Sampling of Occasions
* Christmas in July
Despite it taking several days longer than usual to set up, the ‘Sampling of Occasions’ exhibition opened on Saturday, the 18th of May for that afternoon and the following Sunday, and the next Saturday and Sunday. This exhibition featured pieces of needlework that had been created to celebrate a special occasion - wedding, birth, anniversary, achievement, etc. - and as part of the exhibition I wandered down memory lane and set up displays of my wedding gown & veil, my Matron-of-Honour’s gown (Merrill), my bridesmaid’s dress that I had worn at Merrill’s wedding when I was 17 years of age and my daughter’s flowergirl’s dress that she had worn at my brother’s wedding.
I too wore the same style of dress as Matron-of-Honour.
I also displayed other items relating to our wedding celebrated 48 years ago - wedding invite, hymn sheet, horseshoes received, end-of-pew decorations, my garter, retail dockets for purchases of wedding fabrics, headgears, etc., the dressmaker’s invoice for the making of the gowns ($30.00 for mine, $18.00 for bridesmaids & $10.00 for flowergirl), wedding car dolls dress. Although not on display, at the time of setting up, I enjoyed looking through my wedding box and reading all the wedding cards, the list of gifts received and from whom, reading the telegrams, looking at the reception seating plan for 245 guests, looking at the fabric samples of my mum’s, my nana’s, my mother-in-law’s outfits and fabric samples of the guys suits that they had made especially for them. Happy memories!
I also displayed photos of my Mum & Dad’s wedding that they celebrated on the 11th of October, 1947.
My Mum was only 17 years of age when she married!
Thank you to everyone who loaned me their precious pieces of needlework for the exhibition.
Without you I couldn’t hold an exhibition.
To follow are pics of only a few of the many beautiful pieces of needlework -
WEDDING CELEBRATIONS
Special Note : The beautiful headgear shown above resting on the cushion was worn by
A Mother / A Daughter / A Daughter-in-Law
WEDDING ANNIVERSARYS
CELEBRATING ONE'S FAMILY
A record of
Names or initials
of
family members
amidst various antique
Quaker motifs
CELEBRATING THE UNIQUENESS OF ONE'S NAME
CELEBRATING AN ANNIVERSARY
AND AN ACHIEVEMENT
Thirty Anniversary Stitches
You may recall that to celebrate my thirty years in business
in May 2018
I designed a sampler with thirty different stitches on it
and presented it as a Mystery Sampler project.
This sampler is on the cream easel.
The blue version (still a ‘work in progress’)
is by Robyn P - Hastings
and the finished piece as a cushion
is by Linda - Christchurch
~
This cushion was an awesome gift to me from Linda
and is sincerely appreciated and will be treasured.
The words written by Linda on this sampler are -
For Sherelyn
To celebrate Thirty Years of
Service for needleworkers
in NZ and the World
Thank you again ladies for the loan of your awesome needlework for me to display, giving enjoyment and inspiration to all those who visited the exhibition.
And thank you to everyone who visited the exhibition.
$340.00 was raised for the ‘Door of Hope Children’s Mission’, Africa.
The next event is to be held over the first two weekends in July - Christmas in July.
I will relate more about this event and the preparations for it in my next blog.
Sincerely hoping you have been able to experience many happy days and celebrate many happy occasions and enjoy some happy memories over the past few months.
Treasure each day as one never knows what a day may bring forth!
