Cross-stitch

Mrs Crafting has been itching to do something about the bathroom windows curtains. “They look like a rag, they do”, she says. So I decided it was about time to make a new set. I chose Aida cloth, which is normally used for cross-stitch. It’s not the prettiest kind of fabric for curtains, but for a sloppy seamstress like me those clear weaving lines are a godsend! - Straightest hems I’ve ever marked!

I was a bit hesitant to have another go at cross-stitch after so many years. My mother is a gifted embroiderer, but not much of her talent has managed to pass to the next generation. When my sister and I were about 9 or 10 she bought us one of those cross-stitch for beginners kits – basically painting by numbers with thread instead of paint. I remember looking at her face while she turned my work on the wrong side and saw a jungle of tangled threads. “Cross-stitch should really look tidy on both sides... do you want to give it another go?” – I never did have another go – it required the attention to detail that my pre-teenager self always tried to avoid.

But things are looking neat so far. Mum, you’ll be proud!