In my teenage years, I read all the Little House on the Prairie books, and I desperately wanted a big box of embroidery cottons in every colour, just like the one Laura had. At the time, I was also an avid cross stitcher.
When I was eighteeen, I mentioned this to my nineteen year old boyfriend. We’d been going out less than a year. He made me this box – held together with thumb tacks, complete with sturdy contact-lined dividers. Then he took me to Grace Bros and we filled it with as many colours of DMC stranded embroidery cotton as we could afford.
Can you see why I married him?
Thirty-two years later, the thumb tacks are finally working their way loose, and the threads have been replenished a few times. I can now buy a fancy plastic storage box with bobbins to wind the cotton onto. And I may well do that.
But this old cardboard box – which speaks of young love and gentle kindness and Pete’s engineering prowess – will be hard to part with. ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
What an amazing man to make you such a precious gift!
Hi Celia,
A gremlin appears to have taken over my email and because of this I am uncertain as to whether or not my email to you, regarding Priscilla ever reached you.
Just in case it was lost in the ether, I would like to thank you very much for your kindness in taking the time to send me one of Priscilla’s daughters.
Kindest regards,
Merle
Merle, it was a pleasure and a very small thing! I’ve emailed you! :)
A very sweet and touching story Celia! I know I could never part with such a gift. I’d have to find something to use it for if not the original use. :)
Yes I can. The box must stay.
I think you’re right, Fra. :)
A very sweet story. He’s a keeper! I adore Little House on the Praire books and my collection of DMC cotton threads.
Life is held together with loving, little, stitches – a thumb tac or two just makes doubly sure:) xx
The box is a treasure to keep. Amazing isn’t it how actions speak louder than words.
Don’t do it! Ask the loving man who made you the first one to make another box to fit tightly round the outside of the old one to hold it all together, and give it some more contact to stick it back together. It’s held up so far, and with a little lick more love, will live the same again. You can’t put aside something with so much history.
Lovely, no wonder you held on to him – an obvious keeper.
Oh my, what a wonderful man. lucky you! and lucky HIM!!
Yes, easy to see why you married a man that is so thoughtful and more importantly, puts the thoughts into action 😊
He was only nineteen at the time too! :)
Yes, once again I do agree with Kate: have another supporting box made for the beloved one you have cherished for so many years. It belongs with both of you . . . it is part of the history of your togetherness . . .
What a great story. 😊
That box is perfect, made of love. I say keep it because it is made of magic. You could easily make cardboard bobbins to fit if you feel the need, heck, send me the dimensions and I can draft them for you if you like, Hugs and love, Maz
How lovely, a true love story xx
That is such a beautiful story and what a wonderful thing to do. When I went off to Uni my (still now) best buddy made me up a sewing basket. It’s in pieces now but I still have it…although I think she always had ulterior motives as I still do all her alterations! I too loved Little House on the Prairie. Still have some of the books and have even acquired some did box sets. I think I was always a little bit in love with Pa 😀
Such a beautiful story. Treasure your box.
He was definitely a keeper so is the box makes my plastic container although full of gorgeous threads pale into insignificance….happy stitching. Robyn
Sent from my iPad
What a treasure box to keep. Such a thoughtful gift for a 19 year old to give, good thing you married him.
Omg I had to read that twice. Beautiful. He was/is a keeper.
What a lovely story! A keeper in every sense of the word.
What a lovely thing to do. He seems to be almost as nice as you Celia.
Celia:
Your man sounds like mine was. Both of us are blessed to have had men like this is our lives.
Charlie
Thanks for the links Charlie, I’ll have a look. And yes, aren’t we lucky! x
:~D
What a lovely story, thank you for sharing it with us. I used to embroider too, Hungarian style but then we had so many embroidered things (and we really didn’t like them) Mom and I stopped. I still have her container full of threads.
Lovely story Celia. My grandmother used to have a sewing box full of these cotton loops and I adored it. Lining up the cotton by colour grades, lining them up most favourite to least favourite. Such fun. I have a small collection myself but there is no sentiment or memory attached as there is to your box.
Oh Celia, what a lovely story! What a treasure (the box, the threads and the beau!) x
Beautiful story Celia, and I remember those Little House stories too, especially at the end of The Long Winter when her hands were too rough to sew…
Golly, when I was 19 I would have ditched someone offering me such a beautiful offering as I just wouldn’t have understood the message! Thankfully, time has pried opened my heart just a little (Geoff might query that). That box must stay and the thread that is still in the DMC wraps must stay with it too. I would keep these originals and if there is need to replenish any thread you are using, create a separate plakky organiser. I have to say, they do work well and threads can be stored in colour number order which appeals to the control freak section of my brain. :)
you married well!
A lovely post…. reminds me of my darling mother xxx
did he also make you a carved shelf to put your china shepherdess statue?
Hehehe…no.. 😉