• Home
  • About
  • Birds
  • Bread
  • Cakes and Cookies
  • Chocolate Making
  • Chocolate Making II
  • Chooks
  • Christmas
  • Fabulous Food
  • Family & Friends
  • Frugal Living
  • Homemade
  • In My Kitchen
  • In Our Garden
  • Jams, Preserves & Sauces
  • Musings
  • My Cool Things
  • Savoury
  • Suppliers
  • Sydney
  • Waste Reduction Plan
  • Pandemic Posts 2020

Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Living well in the urban village

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Let There Be Light!
High Hydration Sourdough Focaccia »

A Box of Embroidery Cotton

June 14, 2016 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

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. ♥

Share this:

  • Email
  • Tweet

Like this:

Like Loading...

Posted in Musings | 37 Comments

37 Responses

  1. on June 14, 2016 at 8:46 am koolaidmoms

    What an amazing man to make you such a precious gift!


  2. on June 14, 2016 at 9:08 am Merle

    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


    • on June 14, 2016 at 9:11 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Merle, it was a pleasure and a very small thing! I’ve emailed you! :)


  3. on June 14, 2016 at 9:25 am Pam

    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. :)


  4. on June 14, 2016 at 9:26 am Francesca

    Yes I can. The box must stay.


    • on June 14, 2016 at 9:29 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      I think you’re right, Fra. :)


  5. on June 14, 2016 at 9:40 am Zena

    A very sweet story. He’s a keeper! I adore Little House on the Praire books and my collection of DMC cotton threads.


  6. on June 14, 2016 at 9:51 am Jan

    Life is held together with loving, little, stitches – a thumb tac or two just makes doubly sure:) xx


  7. on June 14, 2016 at 10:16 am Nancy |Plus Ate Six

    The box is a treasure to keep. Amazing isn’t it how actions speak louder than words.


  8. on June 14, 2016 at 10:22 am katechiconi

    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.


  9. on June 14, 2016 at 10:32 am Amanda (@lambsearsandhoney)

    Lovely, no wonder you held on to him – an obvious keeper.


  10. on June 14, 2016 at 11:09 am Susan

    Oh my, what a wonderful man. lucky you! and lucky HIM!!


  11. on June 14, 2016 at 11:31 am ardysez

    Yes, easy to see why you married a man that is so thoughtful and more importantly, puts the thoughts into action 😊


    • on June 14, 2016 at 11:31 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      He was only nineteen at the time too! :)


  12. on June 14, 2016 at 11:34 am Eha

    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 . . .


  13. on June 14, 2016 at 1:20 pm ggstratton

    What a great story. 😊


  14. on June 14, 2016 at 2:27 pm marilynscottwaters

    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


  15. on June 14, 2016 at 3:49 pm Elaine @ foodbod

    How lovely, a true love story xx


  16. on June 14, 2016 at 5:20 pm Chica Andaluza

    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 😀


  17. on June 14, 2016 at 5:32 pm nanacathy2

    Such a beautiful story. Treasure your box.


  18. on June 14, 2016 at 6:48 pm Robyn Wilson

    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


  19. on June 14, 2016 at 8:51 pm Gretchen

    What a treasure box to keep. Such a thoughtful gift for a 19 year old to give, good thing you married him.


  20. on June 14, 2016 at 10:41 pm Kim

    Omg I had to read that twice. Beautiful. He was/is a keeper.


  21. on June 14, 2016 at 11:35 pm Laurie Graves

    What a lovely story! A keeper in every sense of the word.


  22. on June 15, 2016 at 1:21 am themateriallady

    What a lovely thing to do. He seems to be almost as nice as you Celia.


  23. on June 15, 2016 at 1:22 am Charlie

    Celia:
    Your man sounds like mine was. Both of us are blessed to have had men like this is our lives.

    Charlie


    • on June 15, 2016 at 6:32 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Thanks for the links Charlie, I’ll have a look. And yes, aren’t we lucky! x


      • on June 15, 2016 at 9:39 am Charlie

        :~D


  24. on June 15, 2016 at 4:14 am Eva Taylor

    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.


  25. on June 15, 2016 at 3:18 pm tiffinbitesized

    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.


  26. on June 15, 2016 at 7:21 pm Lisa

    Oh Celia, what a lovely story! What a treasure (the box, the threads and the beau!) x


  27. on June 15, 2016 at 8:03 pm Beck @ Goldenpudding

    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…


  28. on June 15, 2016 at 8:51 pm fergie51

    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. :)


  29. on June 18, 2016 at 2:30 am lolarose0

    you married well!


  30. on June 20, 2016 at 4:54 pm Liz - Good Things

    A lovely post…. reminds me of my darling mother xxx


  31. on June 26, 2016 at 3:55 pm allbar2014

    did he also make you a carved shelf to put your china shepherdess statue?


    • on June 26, 2016 at 6:03 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Hehehe…no.. 😉



Comments are closed.

  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • Follow @celiafigjam
  • Recent Posts

    • Making Zokin
    • Curry Puff Pastry
    • Hiatus
    • The Glass Lid
    • Denim Revisited
    • Vegan World Peace Cookies
    • Here Be Chickens!
    • A Tale of Two $2 Quilts
    • Daily Quaft Therapy
    • A Repaired Tea Bowl
  • Categories

  • Archives

  • © All text and photos are copyright 2009 - 2023 Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. All rights reserved. Please ask first.

    Protected by Copyscape

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
    • Join 14,063 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

  • Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • %d bloggers like this: