I can't quite remember when I first began to enjoy traditional ladylike pursuits, but I think it was when I read Little Women for the first time at the age of eleven. I do seem to remember that I was enthralled by the lives of the March sisters and that I felt an affinity with them and their various ambitions.
I found the book in the school library and persuaded my teacher to let me take it home over the Easter holidays. I was so swept away by the story that I asked my parents to buy me an embroidery hoop instead of an Easter egg that year - and I recieved both. I still use that same hoop to this day and it currently has a tapestry of a unicorn on it that I'm working on.
Last spring I treated myself to this floor-standing embroidery frame
which is something I've wanted for years, but I didn't think that you could get them anymore as they are quite old-fashioned. That's why I love it though. I already have a large floor-standing tapestry frame that I love working on, and an overlap tapestry frame too, so to have this large embroidery stand as well means that I have stands for all kinds and sizes of needle work projects, that I can use both upstairs and down.
I use the hand held hoop from my childhood when I'm tucked up in bed at night and can't sleep, as there is something so relaxing about needle work. It calms the mind and soothes the spirit, leaving you in a meditative state of peace.
I always have more than one project on the go, so that I don't get bored and also because sitting at a large frame isn't always practical. A smaller hand-held hoop project is easy to just throw in my suitcase and take on holiday to Scotland with me, because you do need something for the rainy days up in the Highlands!
Having a ladylike hobby is good for the soul. I know I'm very fortunate in that I work predominantly from home and I have chosen to remain child-free, so my time is largely my own, but I think every woman needs a little project of her own. Something she can pick up and put down as and when she has a few minutes to spare. Something that isn't too taxing and which can ease mental chatter and anxiety. Needle work is perfect for that.
I generally spend my Sundays swanning around in a Victorian nightgown, pottering in the house and stitching tapestries while listening to lovely music, such as piano nocturnes or harp compositions. It's a form of self-care. It keeps my mind calm and peaceful and happy.
I especially enjoy working at my tapestry frame while watching a period drama. Just lately I've been engrossed in The Spanish Princess. While not historically accurate, it is still fabulous and I'm enjoying it. There is something fitting about doing needlework in your nightgown, while immersed in the intrigues of the Tudor Court - it's almost like time travel!
It's certainly an effective antidote to the face-paced stress of modern life, and don't we all need that from time to time?
Happy sewing.
Marie x
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