A story about a lovely lady.. my Mom!

*Hums Brady Bunch*

I've been spending the morning enjoying the EtsyNeat forums, the team for hand stitched art. I was listening to stories about how people first discovered their art and it reminded me of my first brush with silk ribbon.

It begins with my mother nearly thirty years ago. She signed up for the embroidery class with Kari, the person who took silk ribbon beyond simple bows into true designs. In her 'Kari me Away' class, my mother met with several women and sewed for several hours at a time. She would joke about standing to stretch her fingers after hours of detailed work.

At the end of each class, the teacher would check the stitches by slipping a needle under the work- and checking the exact placement! Talk about precise creativity.

My mother moved onto smocking and creating her own line of tote bags and wristlets, but ribbon embroidery was a favorite memory.
When I was around ten she pulled out her beautiful box of (now nearly vintage!) ribbon and cute little bags of teeny beads for the necklace of embroidered mice. After I got over the cute as a button way my mother kept everything organized, she taught me how to make gorgeous flowers and garlands.

It was a lovely way for me to be entertained on long flights (as I used to fly at least 4 times a year to visit my Dad).

Just a few years ago (maybe three now) I discovered that same box full of ribbon and beads! It sparked that same love of embroidery that inspired me as a child!