To Nora....With Love

I was sad today.  Nora Ephron died yesterday and I will miss her.  I did not know her but she knew me and you and our sisters and mothers and friends.......she knew us from the inside out.  When I needed to cry I could count on her to help me feel whatever it was that troubled me.  What a great gift she was to us.  It is one more reason to believe that God may very well be a woman! 

I spent a wonderful weekend with a group of women friends.......we are all different and the same......perhaps, for me, that is why I feel this loss of Nora Ephron....she would have fit right in with us.....she was every woman, any woman, and all women. 

Although I am sad, I celebrate her life and am grateful for her being among us.  I hope she went with peace and wish I could hold her family safe.  I hope she had daughters. 

When you are with the women in your life over the next few days, remember to tell them you love them.  I give my love to all of you..................

Tradition

There is a Tradition ...one might even call it an old wives tale.  It has to do with knives and scissors.  I heard this first at my sisters wedding shower, almost 40 years ago when our cousin Phyllis gave my sister a great set o knives and then gave her a penny.  We all asked what the penny was for and she told us "When you give something that will cut...there is a belief that it will cut the love or friendship so you must always give something round at the same time".  After that, as is often the case, I heard the "old wives tale" everywhere.  A few years ago I visited a wonderful family at a scissor factory in France.  The were very kind and gave us some beautiful scissors that day.  When we were ready to leave I gave the mother and her two sons each an American penny.  Marie Claire hugged me and said "You know the tradition!".....it was a special moment.  So when I design kits that will be used with scissors, I include a penny for you to put inside so if you ever loan them to a dear friend or loved one,  the penny will keep your love and affection safe. 

It's About Time......

I know it has been forever since I updated my blog. I have been busy. I showed the first of my designs and kits at the Nashville Cross Stitch Show in February. The kindness shown to me by Pat and Ann of Dyeing to Stitch is more than I can ever repay.....the kindness of the women at the event was overwhelming.


I will always be grateful for the guidance that came to me in so many ways. Helping me make contact with new opportunities for raw materials and opening new avenues to meet people who are just so gracious and giving has been a true gift.

I could not have put this together with out the help of my wonderful daughter and the sister of my heart!

Many shops across the country have ordered these kits and if you need to know who is in your area, just send me an email at purplethreaddsgn@aol.com and I will be happy to give you their names.....


This box has all the "ingredients" to make this needle book that has several storage pockets on the inside, the "fortune cookie" shaped fob and the little pin keep.....what may be showing as black on your pic is really navy blue and looks super with the green. The edge of the box is covered with navy twill and the tail is how you open the box.....

Coco Chanel was one of the great women of her generation. And I love all of her black and white designs. She was a needleworker of a different kind....and yet it was her talent and understanding of needle art that let her to her success.

This scissor fob was inspired by the scissors shown with it and they are a treasured gift. The back side of it is also stitched with black thread and although the button on mine is from my vintage stash, the kits have a button of the same size.

My little Strawberry Bleu tells the story of my Sister, Mom and I spending early mornings picking Strawberries for Jam. They are precious memories and I look forward to many strawberries .....hopefully, a basket full of these designs.

This one is named Close to my Heart and is two of my favorite colors.....Green and Purple.....actually, the fabric is lighter than it is showing here and the purple is less blue than it is showing here. I really have to learn how to adjust the colors in my pics.

I hope you like all that you see here!