Sewing the Seasons
Now for something totally different! Here’s what else I’ve been doing these last couple of years — I taught myself to embroider. And of course, my number one subject is plants and flowers. All of my female relatives on both sides did needlework. As a child, I never laid my head on a pillowcase that wasn’t crocheted or appliquéd. I slept under a handmade quilt — little girls with sunbonnets — made just for me by my paternal grandmother and great-aunt, Grossmutter and Tante Olga, who had long cold winters to while away in rural South Dakota. They taught me to crochet and also to tat (a method of making lace with a handheld shuttle ). I haven’t had the patience for either craft in a long time, and have probably forgotten how. I have knitted a few scarfs and the occasional vest, with more enthusiasm than skill. Walter was pretty sure this scarf was for him, so he supervised closely.  My mother could knit and quilt, and she did crewel work — which is embroidery, but with yarn inste...
