There is something about little girls. They are so precious, sweet, and tender. A seemingly little thing, like telling them they are beautiful, can be like sunlight and water to a delicate flower bud. My 7 year old (as of yesterday… Happy Birthday, Drew!) still wants “her song” sung to her every night at bedtime…
You are my sunshine.
My special sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are gray.
You’ll never know, dear,
How much I love you.
That love will never go away.
I’d always heard this song with “Please don’t take my sunshine away” at the end but I edited it because I didn’t like that last bit. I like my version better. 🙂
Anyway, I thought I’d make my girl a little something to always remember her song by. I’m sure the day will come when she outgrows being sung to sleep. It makes me wonder to look at the little person she’s growing into and think of the lady she’ll be before I know it. I think she might have this tucked away in a memory box somewhere someday and she’ll remember that every night I held her hand and sang her song and that she’s so loved.
Whoa, I’m back now from my imagining. Sorry. Anyway, I’m pretty sure she loved it too. Because she and I seem to imagine the exact same things like that. She usually says what I was just thinking. And when she opened her present she got just that smile and tipped her head to the left and hunched up her left shoulder. Know what I’m talking about? I’ve seen her do this many times. Here it is… from when she was younger but she still does this when she’s feeling adorable or adored. 🙂 I love it.
I think the beginning of this idea came from reading with Drew about the samplers the girls made in Colonial times. We were both inspired a bit and Googled images of period samplers. My embroidery is small of course and modernized a bit. I appliqued bits of fabric to add some more depth and color to the piece.
If you want to make a custom embroidery for someone here’s some tricks to make it easier. I first measured my frame. The actual dimensions were 3 3/4″ by 5 3/4.” I then made the same size rectangle on graph paper and sketched my design until it was all centered and laid out as I wanted.
I used some canvas (like from a drop cloth or just untreated painter’s canvas) and drew a 3 3/4″ by 5 3/4″ rectangle on it lightly with a sharp pencil. Next, using the paper as a guide, I lightly drew the design on the canvas. I stitched over the pencil lines, cut out bits of fabric for the flowers, sun, and heart and ironed them on with double sided fusible web (for applique.)
I erased any pencil lines that still showed with a good quality artist eraser and cut and the edges of the canvas. I used Fray Check on the edges… another favorite trick. It will stiffen the edge of any fabric and make them not fray. It’s also good for when your favorite shirt gets a little hole and you’re in denial and still want to wear it. This will stop the hole from getting bigger. Not that I wear holey shirts… ever… really… ok just sometimes.
And now that I’ve gone on a bunny trail… how to bring it back? I donno. I’m lost. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DREW! You are beautiful!
Photo from Myriah Grubbs Photography
