It made me ashamed of my hobby! I'm so happy to have met so many wonderful people online who love cross stitching and what goes into a project that makes it so special.
Barbara Go to top
If the person does a lot of crafts, they can usually appreciate the effort, but that's not always the case - my mother (who is an avid sock knitter and ought to know how much work it is)usually tells me "how horribly fussy/bothersome/complicated that is " and that she couldn't do that...recently she even went so far as to say, "Well, but once you're done, what do you do with it; i mean you can't sell it!?!" That was really hurtful, like I could do nothing "better" than stitching and since that doesn't earn me a living, it would be worth nothing!...grrrrrr If i had made such a remark about her socks not being worth anything, she'd have ripped me apart! Guess I should make such a guideline thing, too...:-)
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Some people just don't get it. My strangest remarks were, "That must be so boring just making X's. All you do is make X's ?" "You don't work so what do you do just sit around and stich?"
I met a lady recently who said she use to cross stitch when her kids were young and she stayed home with them. This lady just moved in town and was visiting a friend of mine. My friend brought her over thinking we would have something in common. I thought oh goodie a new friend to share stitching with. We are middle aged and she told me you can only have so many x-stitched things. I disagree, the more the better. She told me to quit stitching and get a job. I found her very rude on lots of topics. Needless to say I didn't become friends with her. Go to top
I especially love the comment that the cow leg was one stitch off. Who really notices stuff like that? Maybe another stitcher who would appreciate the uniquenss of that particular piece. I almost always change something. That way my work is never exactly like someone else. Go to top
The strangest comment I ever received came from my (then new) late husband. It was definitely a case of "consider the source." I stitched a tiny little wedding sampler from Sweatheart Tree called "United in Love". I intended to finish it as a (miniature) bell pull--it is only about 6 inches long. My husband was incarcerated and we couldn't take things like that in at visiting, so I left it "unfinished but completed" and carefully rolled it up in my pocket like a hankie. Dan had no clue about what my stitching was about, but he did know it was "my thing". When he saw it he said, "Oh, my God! That is beautiful, it looks like it was done with a machine!" Most people would have hurt feelings from that comment, but I realized that from him that was a compliment of the highest order. I can still see the look of wonder on his face when he said "like it was done with a machine". That is one of the precious memories of have of him. Dan loved computers and neat precision, so this was indeed a compliment.
Live long and prosper, Pamn. Go to top
Older people I usually get: "This is good, I'm glad someone like your age is interested in this." / "I don't usually see many young people cross stitching." / "I thought all young ladies just knitted or crocheted" / "Its beautiful! I'm so glad someone like you does this!
