something OLD, something NEW, something BORROWED, something BLUE

(subtitle: HANKIES)

If you hate reading back-stories, then just skip to the pics! This edition is loaded with "explanations". (And I'm giving you the long version...)

Several years ago we had a substitute preacher speak on how Satan gets you to doubt your salvation. If you've stumbled a little sometimes you start questioning whether or not you truly turned your life over to Jesus.  He said one way to prevent that was to write the date you came to faith in your Bible. Or note the date of baptism... Now when Satan comes to whisper his poison in your ear, you just wave that date in his face & call him the liar that he is! After hearing that message, I was moved to create my own little quiet ministry. I embroider our church name, a cross, & often the date on the hankies Pastor places in the hands of the individual being baptised.  Here is a picture of my oldest's:

The church secretary keeps me supplied with the all-cotton hankies we've decided work the best for the embroidery & the baptistry...  This is the design I use now.

(You just have to imagine it stitched with
white thread, on white fabric,
and all the jump stitches trimmed...)

It fits in my 40x40mm hoop so I can crank out several hankies in an afternoon.  We leave the name & date off, because sometimes a person might not show up. I'll add the date later if somebody asks.

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Just before Christmas 2009, Ann became a widow when a bizarre freeway accident instantly killed her husband of 45 years.  I was honored to be asked to play a few hymns & accompany the french horn in "Amazing Grace" for John's service at our church.

In a couple days I am again honored to be playing "Wedding March" and some incidental music when Ann ends the loneliest year of her life by marrying Marv.  Their beautiful announcement/invitation of course requests "no gifts," but again I was moved to embroider a hanky!

When Ann called to discuss her music choices, I asked about her dress. (sneaky!) She told me it was a champagne day dress.  The hand-applied lace is OLD, I inherited it from a great aunt years ago. The embroidery is NEW.  The hanky is "BORROWED". (You see, it was one of the baptism hankies that had a hem unravel & I'd used to practice a new design,  I cut off two edges to square it up, then did a new rolled hem.) Finally, Ann's new monogram is BLUE.

Credit: monogram frame comes from My Embroidery Haven - but I changed the letter to Chopin from here.