Embroidery Journal Project - January

During January, I embroidered a 12" x 12" image that will become part of a quilt at the end of the year. Each month, as part of the Embroidery Journal Project 2012, I'll be doing an embroidery square that has images that reflect something significant that happened during the month.

This month, by far, the most significant happening was my father's death on January 5th. He died one day shy of his 80th birthday.

In May 2009, he was diagnosed with middle-stage Alzheimer's Disease. This is an unbelieveably cruel disease that not only robs one's mind, but one's body. To see the effects of it during the past 2 1/2 years (particularly during the last six months of my dad's life) was devastating and incredibly sad.

However, despite the grasp the disease had on my dad and the effects it had on his speech and communication skills; ability to do basic living functions - like eating and walking...Sophia ,Olivia, and I still enjoyed visiting my dad and trying to find things that he would enjoy doing.

Dad (the girls' "Papa") dancing down the hallway

at the nursing home.

(Photo taken on October 15, 2011.)

Up until the middle of December when he closed his eyes for the majority of each day, he still liked looking at the birds, looking at photographs, and - most important - just holding hands and knowing that we were there for him.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The image I embroidered is a compilation of different elements:

- the heart, swirls, butterfly, and leaves are from an image that I found on the internet.

- the dove was another image that I re-sized and then inserted in place of a matching butterfly on the left-hand side of the heart.

- the hands are traced from a photograph I took of my dad's hand in mine as I sat by his bedside on January 2nd (the image of the hands are re-sized on the computer so they would fit inside the heart).

- the crosses are traced from a photograph that I took of my dad's casket that was made by the Trappist Monks who live at New Melleray Abbey in Iowa. On the top, there was a wooden cross that was cut out from it and given to my mom so she could have it and remember my dad by it.

January embroidered square

for the Embroidery Journal Project.

The dove and butterfly are symbolic for two reasons:

(1) These were images placed by my dad's door at St. Therese (nursing home) when he was in the process of dying and had died. The butterfly was to let the staff know that the resident is dying and to be more quiet around the person's room. The dove replaced the butterfly when my dad died.

(2) Butterflies represent several things: transition, resurrection, time, and soul. According to the Delta Hospice Society, "The butterfly symbolizes the transition between life and death. The caterpillar forms its cocoon and prepares to leave life as he knows it, to become a lovely butterfly."

When I read a bit about doves, a website said that a dove "...is a symbol of the soul's sojourn after physical life has retired. Slavic legend claims the dove is a symbol of the soul's release from earth-bound duty."

The butterfly and dove were important symbols this month.

The swirls and leaves remind me of the colorful flowers that my dad enjoyed growing. When I was younger (elementary-school age), I remember seeing lots of African violets growing in the house. In the first house I grew up in, he had a multi-level shelving unit with lights where he grew the violets.

When we moved to the house that he and my mom lived in for over 37 years, he planted annuals and perennials in multiple gardens and containers.

My dad on May 17, 2011.

We picked out flowers at the Farmer's Market and

then I planted them in containers for him.

He filled the water pitcher and watered each container.

During the last couple years of his life, he took great pride in having beautiful flowers along the front walkway - ones that he could enjoy from the front window he would look out at each day, especially as his ability to walk on his own diminished and his world became smaller. The flowers and birds were things he could see from his window which brought him great joy.

 One of the many beautiful flowers that my dad grew

during the summer. This was taken in Summer 2011.

I put the two crosses in the design because my dad was a deacon for over 15 years. When he was younger, he was going to become a priest, but then decided not to pursue that calling. Instead, he obtained his Masters in Social Work and was only a few hours short of getting his doctorate in Social Work.

He chose to work in the public school system as a school social worker - first with junior high youth and then senior high schoolers. While he was at the senior high, he pursued the original calling he had to go into ministry work. So, my dad and mom went through several years of training so he could become a deacon.

One of the display boards I made in January

about my dad's religious life.

Many of the pictures are from his ordination and

work in serving others through the church.

 In that role, he baptized over 700 babies (703 to be exact);  presided over marriages and funerals; and ran a program for seniors. He reached people of all ages..and ministered to families in times of happiness and sadness.

Hands representing support

enclosed in a heart symbolizing love.

Although the hands that I embroidered are my dad's and my own...they also symbolize the support and help he provided to countless people through his work/career, volunteering, and church.

*~*~*~*~*

As for the embroidery, I chose to use only one stitch for this piece - the backstitch - because I wanted the focus to be more on the image than on using a variety of stitches.

At this point, my knowledge of embroidery stitches is quite limited (straight, back, blanket/buttonhole, and feather). I am concurrently doing the Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) challenge in which I'm learning a new stitch each week (this past week was the feather stitch). Hopefully, I'll be able to incorporate some of these new stitches into future designs for the Embroidery Journal Project.

All the floss used is 100% cotton. The fabric, likewise, is 100% cotton in white with a subtle white-leaf print. At this point, I plan to use the same fabric for all 12 squares.

The other squares in the quilt will use fabric that I have on hand. With the exception of batting, all the fabric and floss used will be from what I have on hand rather than purchasing anything new.

Linking Up: Creating a Family Home, Creating My Way to Success, Embroidery Journal Project 2012, Homemaker on a Dime: Creative Bloggers, and The Southern Institute.