Have you ever happened on a hobby that brings you great joy? I was up in Utah last fall and went to a cute little store in Gardner Village. There are many fun stores, boutiques, and restaurants in this little Village. But "Pine Needles" is a quilting and handwork store that seemed to speak to me. In there I found some of the cutest embroidery patterns I had seen in a long time. Speaking of a long time, I hadn't embroidered anything in a very long time. I had actually forgotten how much I enjoyed handwork like this. Well, needless to say my visit to this fun store awakened in me my love for handwork and expressing myself through this medium. After doing my part to stimulate the economy of this little store, I have enjoyed working some of their patterns. Here are a just a few of things I have found joy in making.
A little side note. This past week we were at a trade show with my brother from Arizona. He brought a shirt I had embroidered for him while he was on his mission in Italy. It was a map of the country complete with little pictures of the things each reagion of Italy was famous for. I have found memories of designing that shirt, and learning about the country he was serving in. I was a senior in High School at the time. It brought a smile as I looked at the shirt a realized that my love of hand embroidery goes way back. It was fun to realize how common threads of joy weave their way through our lives.
