There certainly is debate about the history of the United States. History, like any human story, is complicated. All of us have moments we look back upon and think, "Oooo. If I could have that one back, I would be better." With all its flaws and mistakes, the United States is still the greatest place on Earth in any time and place. My training is in art history and women's studies. I know enough to know how deeply fortunate I am to be alive here and now. Thus, I celebrate with gratitude.
Today's craft project is yet another one that came out of the my mother's stash. Just Nan designed a series of cross stitch angels. I've already written about completing "Gloriana." "Liberty" was one design in a folder of unworked designs. The difference is "Liberty" had a small packet of beads and star embellishments stapled to it.
I started with a trip to my own stash. Yes, I had all the DMC embroidery floss on hand. Of course I did. What I did not have on hand was the size 8 and size 12 perle cotton. I had some of that, but not in the correct colors. How could I not have white/blanc perle cotton? This is the Rule of Stash: No matter how large the stash, your next project will inevitably require materials not in the stash. I had a similar experience with the Kreinik metallic threads. Not exaggerating, I probably have over 100 little spools of the stuff. But would I have size 4 braid in colors 100, 080HL, and 3202? Of course not! The perle cotton was easy enough to get — a quick trip out to my local big box craft stores was sufficient. For the Kreinik, I ordered from Nashville Needleworks. I have never been there in person. From what I can tell online, it looks like they are a friendly local shop. I am guessing this, too, because they were out of size 4 braid in color 100, but called to ask me if they could substitute size 4 braid in color 100HL? "HL" is the designation for "HIGH LUSTER." More sparkle? Bring it on! My order arrived in a couple days.
The last item I needed was the material. For that I went to Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance. I took the floss pack with me, so I could audition various options. I had already searched online for the specific fabric called for in the pattern, but without luck. At SEFAA I found a piece of Ginnie Thompson Natural Linen, 100% linen made in Ireland. The original price tag was from Ben Franklin crafts. I'm pretty sure this was a piece of fabric I had donated to SEFAA when I deaccessioning my mother's stash a couple years ago. It is darker than the fabric called for in the pattern. I think this color might be a better choice than the original, as the angel's wings stand out more. The downside is her hair stands out less, but I think the halo sets off the head well enough.
I made a couple other changes to the design near the bottom. The leviathan stitches at the bottom of the gown were supposed to be floss, but I worked them in size 12 perle cotton. I also changed the placement of the beads around the central large triple leviathan stitches, including increasing their number. Otherwise, I worked the design as instructed.
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| Just Nan Liberty Homeland Angel, design JN097 |
I quickly discovered why my mother had stitched so many of these. The angels are fun! They are small enough projects that you feel you are making progress. (The size of the area in the picture is 3 by 6¼ inches/about 8 by 16cm.) I was able to complete the whole thing in under two weeks, working on it a little bit each night.
The design is copyright 2001. There was a wave of patriotism following the September 11th attacks. With the semiquincentennial approaching, this seemed like the perfect time to complete this project.
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