HT 4: Embroidered tablecloth

It’s about time I continued my Handmade treasures series so I’m displaying this lovely embroidered ‘Sunday’ tablecloth my mother made for me as a present some 15 years ago.

My parents retired – or rather were made to retire – in their mid-fifties at about the same time they had their first grandchild. Thus they were lucky to have almost three productive decades to devote entirely to their own interests. Their most precious gems were the 12 grandchildren they were blessed with during the years but they had plenty of time to engage themselves in many other kinds of things such as crafts, both at home and on special courses their local community offered.

My mother had always done lots of handicrafts and she was very skillful in all the types she took up. Everything that ever left her hands was flawless be it sewn, woven, knitted, crocheted or embroidered, as you can see from the close-ups. She made many precious pieces for her offspring and as regards me, she always got it right. I love all the items she surprised me with, not that I didn’t love the ones I later inherited.

The square tablecloth measuring 1.5m has proven very versatile. I’m hoping it will last much longer than my time so I’m only using it on special occasions but it is the perfect size for our living room coffee table as well as the breakfast table in the kitchen diner. In addition, it fits our extendable dining table nicely crosswise when the table is set at 2m or less.

How could you not love an item like this? I have never tried any embroidery yet and I believe if I ever could create anything haft as beautiful and laborious I would be forever proud.

(PS. In one respect nothing has changed since the late 1970s: employers still consider the over-fifty-year-olds an undesirable burden.)