Thursday, May 10, 2012

Planting Flowers

If the weather is nice, and even sometimes when it is not, we go to the park after kindergarten. Yesterday I took a deep breath, packed my Little Garden on a Hill project and took it along. I sat down on a bench, half in the sun, half in the shadow of an old tree, and while the children were playing and the other parents watching me from a distance, I began planting French knot flowers and drizzle stitch leaves. It felt a bit strange at first, but soon I forgot about everyone else being there, and only kept an ear on my daughter's voice.


After a few stitches, children started to come by and ask me what I was doing. I answered all their questions and some of them sat with me for a couple of minutes. Then more of them came and stayed for longer, about a dozen boys and girls, aged from 3 to 9, with their little inquiring minds, wanting to know how and what I was working on, saying that my embroidery was beautiful :) 
Then a little boy said "Can you teach me how to embroider?" I wanted to reply, but his mother interrupted "Why would you want to learn THAT? You are a boy! Only girls can embroider, and what is the point even for them doing THAT?!", she said and stepped away.


But the children stayed. And watched each and every move and stitch I made, fascinated by the way a needle and some thread wrapped around it created a leaf, and then another one, a flower and then another one. They never asked why on earth I was embroidering, or what it was good for, or was it worth the effort... 


Taking my garden along to the park was definitely worth it. For more than just my soul, I hope...


11 comments:

Waseem said...

All the designs are stunning....bright colours.


Send Flowers Pakistan
Send Flowers Pakistan
Send Flowers Pakistan

Laucica said...

Jó, ha az ember hímzős lánya meg tud maradni egy kicsit gyereknek, nem kérdezi, minek, hanem csinálja, mert szép. És mert jó:)

Tatyana Ratcliffe said...

всегда любуюсь и восхищаюсь вашими работами!

Suztats said...

Wonderful for the children to see you creating. I'm sure they were excited by watching your garden develop in front of them.
What an opportunity to spread handwork to the next generation. I hope that little boy follows his wish and learns to embroider.

Momma Bear said...

thank goodness for little children!
and don't listen to that silly woman, she has no sense!(of course little boys can learn to sew.) you, on the other hand, got soul food sitting under that little tree in the park.
sounds like a lovely day that you should repeat as much as you can!

Cynthia Gilbreth said...

It's lovely! And so nice to be stitching in the park and showing the little ones how to make something beautiful.

Mosaic Magpie said...

I can not imagine a mother saying such a thing to a child. What a narrow mind to not understand the entire world lays at her son's feet. He is free to learn any skill that interests him. So very sad to think a mother would discourage her child in such a way. Go back to that park, every chance you get. Take bits of fabric, thread and needles and teach those children a skill that will serve them well. No they may not stitch a lovely crazy quilt block, but they will be able to sew on a button or mend a tear, because you were there to show them how to use a needle and thread. You saw beyond a narrow minded mother and gave her son a precious gift...your time and attention.
Deb

Lee Albrecht said...

Annamaria, que História linda! e que bela semente voce plantou em um jardim...onde o trabalho manual é visto com preconceito...todos podem bordar... homens, mulheres, crianças...
Nós somos as sementes para o amanhã, nós estamos resgatando o bordado com arte para um mundo melhor!
Beijos

IrLik said...

Very nice! As in the gardens of Versailles!

Ati said...

I agree totally with Mosaic Magpie! The beauty of your work also touched the children's soul.

gocrazywithme said...

Oh, the lack of sense of some people! Not only was that mother rude to you, she is limiting her son's potential for enjoying life to its fullest. This is the prettiest snowball I've seen yet! I hope you keep stitching in the park and talking to the kids.

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