Have Your Say

Thankfulness & Acronyms

Our recent editorial piece about thankfulness in All Stitched Up! issue #300 clearly resonated with many readers. We’re not sure if it is because stitching fosters an innate feeling of thankfulness – for the art, the time to practice it or simply the joy it brings – or whether the kind of people who stitch are the same people who understand thankfulness. In any case, it was lovely to hear from so many of you about things you are thankful for in your lives.

Floss Hurley told us she is thankful for everything. She is particularly thankful that God has allowed her to love, join in with the stitching community and provided her with the talent to be creative. She’s so grateful for the love she has for beauty, especially the beauty that arises out of needle and thread. She often uses the words of Dag Hammarskjold to describe herself:

‘For all that has been, thank you. For all that will be, yes!’

Billie Beaufort offered that she is thankful for the many connections with the community that she gains each week from reading the newsletter. She says that they all keep her humble in the world of needle and thread.

Jane Wheeler offered a simple word of thanks – for the fact that at 90 years old, she still is still able to enjoy and participate in the pleasure of hand stitching!

Frances Tornese told us that when she was a teenager, she desperately wanted to study with the Royal School of Needlework in London, but as she lived in America it was only a dream. However now, at 70 years old, she is thankful that the RSN are offering their classes to students young and old, anywhere in the world, through their online program. She’s so grateful for everyone at the RSN and the work that they do.

We know that every one of us has something to be thankful for, whether it is related to our needlework or not.

And we are truly thankful for all of you, because without you and your wonderful contributions, we simply wouldn’t be able to do what we do.

Just switching the mood up a little, we recently asked whether anyone knew of some other amusing stitching acronyms they had come across, and we had a chuckle after reading the ones sent in.

Two acronyms we had never heard of were offered by Suzanna Sandoval: PIGS which stands for ‘Projects in Grocery Sacks’; and TGIF – ‘Thank Goodness it’s Finished!” We can relate to both of those!

Shalaya Cole wanted to comment on the concept of SABLE, which we defined as ‘Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy’. She suspects that some stitchers may feel this way, but she sees a stash as a creative person’s collection of possibilities. She shortens that to CPCP or CP2! If someone is using a kit or following project instructions, they are often engaged and excited about using the materials provided. However, there are stitchers who like to put a bit of themselves into each project, which may mean using a different thread, different colour or different background.

By this definition, a stash becomes a collection of creative possibilities.

Anne Bollen shared an acronym that she heard from a member of her embroidery group who is sadly no longer with us. That is SINS – ‘Stuff I’ll Never Stitch’. Perhaps this is a good acronym to remember to keep us all realistic about available time and careful selection – often difficult in the face of so many glorious projects to choose from!

Finally, Janet Henry was familiar with the PHD acronym (Projects Half Done) but she and her stitching group used it in a slightly different way. They called themselves PHDs as the idea of the meeting was to get those unfinished projects finished. One of the husbands of the group decided that the acronym actually meant something else: ‘Projects Higher and Deeper’. This was accompanied by a winking emoji and Janet saying with a smile ‘they just don’t get it!’

Whether you have something to share that you are thankful for, or you live by a stitching acronym that sums you up to a T, we’d love to hear from you and hopefully share your thoughts with the wider community. The conversation just never ends – which is what we love so much about the job we do.