I'M A RULE BREAKER, YES I AM

Woo Hoo! My BSFF Laura J. Perin nominated me for an "I Love Your Blog" award! I am humbled and quite tickled purple that I am being recognized for something that brings ME such delight, (especially from one of my needlework heroes), but I just can't seem to follow the rules and nominate seven other stitchy bloggers.

So I made up my own rules....rather than go through my blog roll and nominate other bloggers, I thought I would recognize some stitchers who have made such a profound difference to me:

1. Chrissy
This one is a total no-brainer, since it was my little sister Chrissy who taught me to stitch in the first darn place. There are days that I feel bad that I have invaded her passion, but I am so happy that she decided to share the stitchy world with me. Chrissy is a stitcher in the truest sense of the word...it lives and breathes in her, and she has been dedicated to this artform for more than half of her life. Thank you, dear Chrissy for giving so generously of your time and your love and for letting me play in your sandbox.

2. Mom
I mentioned before that Mom was a needlepointer. According to all of the "rules" of needlepoint, Mom's work should have been distorted, poorly stitched, and warped beyond recognition. Not one piece that she did required blocking -- they were as perfect finished as when they were new. She did pre-worked florals on penelope canvas and added tent stitch backgrounds in black or green wool. She held the canvas in her hand and worked from the bottom to the top doing a sewing method. I guess all of that defies anything that makes any sense to a "technical" stitcher, but I am so grateful to have several of her pieces hanging in my house. I look at them every day and think of them as a stunning reminder of the stunning woman who made them.

3. Miss Jean
Jean does it all, but I've only seen her canvas work. She is a gorgeous stitcher and even had a piece accidentally framed backwards because her backs are as beautiful as her fronts. Every time I see something that Miss Jean has done, I am inspired to try it myself and usually love her for getting me to step out of my comfort zone.

4. Kavanaugh
Captain Dan Kavanaugh is a police officer for the University Notre Dame. He is a mountain of a man who could probably crack walnuts with his bare hands, so you'd never guess that he's such a tender soul. Chrissy taught him to stitch and then charted his family crest for him, and it hangs proudly in his office. Watching him stitch was fascinating....big "manly" hands producing the most perfect stitches. He was so meticulous and excited about his project that I found myself looking at stitching and stitchers in a whole new way.

5. Mariah
This is the little girl that Chrissy taught to stitch some months ago. According to her mom, she's still at it, but is keeping most of it "private". Methinks she has decided to make some stitchy gifts? The idea of Mariah coming up with her own designs and executing them with such determination makes me want to stitch forever.

6. Stitchy designers
Yes, I could be a walking commercial for my dear Laura J. Perin, but I am absolutely in awe of all of the stitchy designers who toil away at their craft so that we can benefit. Sometimes a new piece will take my breath away and I can't wait to get my paws on it. Sometimes I wonder what was going on in the designer's life that inspired them to create. Mostly, I just want to thank them for all of their creativity and ask them to never stop coming up with things to keep me off the streets.

7. Stitchy shop owners
Nobody goes into the business of owning a needlework shop to get rich. I am in love with all the shop owners out there who love stitching and love stitchers. I thank you for furthering the addiction, for giving so much of yourselves and your fortunes to keep us busy.


8. The "stranger" stitcher
This is the stitcher that is on the bus or the plane or waiting patiently at the doctor's office. She isn't looking for glory. She doesn't need to have anybody ooo and aahhh over her work. She just needs to stitch...to hold canvas or linen in her hands and do something wonderful with them. She doesn't have a blog and she doesn't keep a thousand journals of her work for posterity...she just stitches. She volunteers at her guild. She teaches others to stitch. She quietly goes about the world making it a better place for being in it. This is the stitcher that keeps the shops in business, the designers designing, and the rest of us grateful to be part of the fun.