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A New Start to Honor Rita

Thank you all for the comments. I haven’t read them. Yesterday I was a wimp all day. I went over to a neighbor’s yesterday evening to share some of my veggies I had started from seeds. She shares hers with me every year. It seems that the seeds I started this year either ALL germinated and grew like crazy or none of them ever sprouted. I had to buy bell pepper and jalapeno pepper plants but I had 20 sweet potato slips I couldn’t find a spot for and planted way too many. I also had a few too many Marconi peppers so I took those to her. Anyway, I practiced what I would say to her about Rita several times and got through it but when I told her, I didn’t do so well. She understands. She had a very old dog that she lost last year and she was the same way. Today will be better.

It was fairly late last night when I decided to start a project to honor Rita. I wanted it to be something big and pretty because she deserves that. I chose And God Saw by Teresa Kogut for several reasons.

First, the verse says “And God Saw Everything He Made and it was good”. I believe that God makes no mistakes and I believe everything happens for a reason. If someone dropped Rita off at our house, shame on them but I feel it was a bit of divine intervention that she showed up at our house and that she survived for a couple of weeks in the woods on acorns, with very little water and coyotes and other bad critters in the woods. So, I thought this verse piece would be good to stitch to honor Rita and her memory.

Second, a friend told me a while back that she had ordered two of these charts and would send one to me. She was getting together a few other things to send to me. She had let me know that she shipped it last week and it wasn’t supposed to arrive until Wednesday or Thursday and it arrived Monday, which rarely happens with our mail. I looked at the chart when I opened the package and I already knew I wanted to stitch it but I really wanted to stitch it once I had it in my hands. Then, with the whole thing with Rita, I figured with the timing of the chart’s arrival and the verse I like, this was the project to stitch.

I wanted to get it started on Rita’s last day, yesterday. I didn’t care about getting a lot of stitches done – just enough to say I started it on 4/30/24 . . and I did.

Choosing the right linen was a bit of trouble because I have no empty frames but I had several that have fabric loaded and I had intended to use them for another project but . . priorities change things. That was a piece of fabric intended to be used with Mary Ann Aldred. The fabric came in a kit and I’m not even sure I know what it is but that’s ok.

I was watching Brenda and the Serial Starter a day or so ago. Brenda is one of the stitching giants in my eyes and when she said she doesn’t write down the linen she uses on projects, I almost send her a note to say “THANK YOU!” I make good notes of floss color changes but I do not always keep up with the fabric I’m using and if Brenda doesn’t have to write it down, then neither do I! 🙂

I have just a little bit left on Faith, Hope, Peace and Love and I’m hoping to get that finished today!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. your link to Mary Ann Aldred says the fabric is 36 ct Vintage Country Mocha Edinburgh.

  2. For so many reason this looks like it will a perfect stitch for you right now. It will probably go faster than you think with all the different small motifs it will probably keep you wanting to do one after another. It’s beautiful

  4. So sorry to hear about Rita. She was a blessed pup to have found you and Vince. I started this same project yesterday. I’m super slow, but it will get finished eventually.

    • Ahh, we’ll be stitching together. Where did you start on it?

  7. I was cheering (and laughing at Laura’s reaction) when I heard Brenda make that comment! I feel exactly the same – I do include the fabric I’m using if it’s a first blog post about starting a new project (because inevitably if I don’t someone asks) but heck once I stitch it, what do I care what fabric it was stitched on. LOL If I have leftovers of aida, they just go in the leftover bin and normally I have lost the fabric label by then. The one thing I have started doing recently is write what count fabric it is directly on the top and bottom opposite corners of the fabric. That way if I cut off extra, I know the stitch count of the scrap piece later on.

    • I kinda wish none of them had names. I choose what I like and don’t really care what name it has. Sometimes I’ll find three pieces of the exact same name of linen and all three of them are pretty different – lighter, darker, Pinker, more yellow. I know that’s the nature of most hand dyed fabric but it’s not like I can say “I used the color Denise for this project and I want more than exact same color.” Sometimes it’s the same and sometimes it’s not.

  8. Now I am crying. How precious to honor Rita that way

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