With These Stitches

We Remember

Life Strands.

There are a million threads connecting our past ( parents, family ) and our present.  Threads that bind, that twist and tangle; threads that fray and even get lost .  Each of these is imbued with a memory, a feeling, a wish, or a regret but all serve to weave our lives together.   

 These are some of ours.

Lisa Binkley

Margaret Brauer

Kris Dohm

Rowan Dow-Thornton

Ann Engelman

Marge Engelman

Brenna Hopkins

Joan Klaski

Bobbie Malone

Leslee Nelson

Pamela Phillips Olson

Nancy Parsons

Jane Pearlmutter

Cynthia Quinn

Sherri Shokler

Peggy Thornton

Laurie Stephens Vance

Marilyn Wedberg

Artists from 8 - 87 at Lakeside

MOTHER

Rowan Dow-Thornton

It is simple, mother means love.

Cotton thread on vintage linen.

Age 8

THE BEST IS YET TO BE

Marge Engelman

 There are four of us women all over 80, who meet spasmodically to talk about aging.  We call ourselves the Octos. We discuss a wide range of topics related to getting older.  Like many groups we decided we needed a “project.”  Each of us looked back at what has shaped our lives.  My focus was on “Textiles in My Life”:  items I had created such as maternity clothes from feed sacks, a tutu for dancing daughter Ann, liturgical banners, cross stitch quilts, an op art weaving, gourds that incorporated textiles. I culled photos from albums, took pictures of objects I still had, added samples of textiles, and wrote short statements  about each.  All of this was incorporated into a scrapbook. It is a marvelous treasure! 

But as I worked on this project for a number of weeks, I realized that all of this activity was “looking backwards.”  What about the future?   I firmly believe that aging is NOT ALL DOWNHILL, but that these last years are filled with opportunities and challenges that make for a vital  and full life.

Thus, this stitchery made in my 87^th year:  “The Best Is Yet to Be.”