A Tribute to Mom And Ideas For A Last Minute Greeting

5/9/2020

Many moons ago I was interviewed by Eileen Roche for a special blog post. You can read it HERE if you like. I'm mentioning it today because the final, wrap up question she asked me was this:

Finish the sentence:
My mother taught me . . .

My answer:
Enough to write a book, but above all she taught me to be thankful and to stick to your core beliefs and values.

Every day, but today especially, I'm missing Mom as she has been gone for quite some time now. Being the "baby" of the family, Mother’s Day brings many cherished memories to mind. I look back and think of gifts both hand-crafted and purchased that I gave to my appreciative mom.

Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with appropriate gifts. One year I was looking to present her with something totally unique. I had already been using my embroidery machine for lots of things, so I embroidered a card with a calico cat design. My mom was a big cat lover and I have a sentimental story about a calico kitten my sister found on the playground that later came to live with us for a full 18 years. I knew she would love a three dimensional image of a cat resembling the one we adopted into the family many years before. Wanting to make the card even more special, I wrote a letter inside thanking my mom for giving me my own birthday. As you may well guess, she kept that card forever!

If you’re looking for a last-minute card idea or a package decoration, I have one here that you may want to try.

Design size: 3.78" W X 2.78" H, fits within a 4-inch hoop.

Take this pretty rose design provided as an archived free design on the Brother blog, stitch it on netting or white felt, and attach to a vase like you see in the photo, place it on an envelope or gift card, or use it as a package decoration. You'll have something special for Mom in just a few minutes!

Click on the photo of the vase and it will take you directly to the project instructions archived on the Brother Stitching Sewcial site. You'll find a link to the free design courtesy of Brother International within the instructions.

If you're looking for a way to make greeting cards with embroidery designs I have a full, free tutorial for you HERE.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

I hope you'll take the time to leave a comment here and finish the sentence below:

My Mother taught me . . .

21 Comments

Connie Beeler

5/9/2020 22:43:55

Loved the story of your Mother and the rose design, ruffled mat & card are all beautiful. Thank you for sharing. My mother taught me to sew along time ago. Little did I know how important this hobby/passion would be to me.

Joanne Banko

5/10/2020 22:04:35

Hi Connie! I'm glad you liked this post. You are very fortunate to have been taught sewing by your mom. That is a gift that keeps on giving!

Maritza Farr

5/9/2020 23:29:46

To be a self sufficient and strong woman.

Joanne Banko

5/10/2020 22:08:51

Thanks for leaving a comment Maritza. I enjoyed hearing what you learned from YOUR mom!

Brenda Aigner

5/10/2020 01:39:55

Like you, my mother taught me many things. She was a woman who liked to try everything just to see if she could do it. From sewing to making lye soap, to covering our swing set frame with feed sacks she sewed together for an airy tent, to caring for my dad through Parkinson’s dementia she succeeded! Through her I learned that I, too, am a strong woman and to bloom where I am planted even in a pandemic.

Joanne Banko

5/10/2020 22:11:42

Hi Brenda! Wow! Your mom had many talents. Thanks for sharing all the interesting things she accomplished. Keep "blooming" my friend!

Pat Guerin

5/10/2020 06:18:53

The rose is beautiful. Like you, I believe whether you are the youngest or the oldest or inbetween moms are teachers everyday even after we are adults. They never stop loving their kids or grandkids. After my mom’s passing I found letters I had written to her safely tucked away. I didn’t even remember writing all of them! She nurtured my live for needlework but never “made”me do it. There is not a day. Goes by that I don’t think of her.Her love of gardening, needlework well into her late 80’s is what kept her going til she passed. I surely was lucky to have had her this long.I am not worried thru this pandemic, people have lived thru much worse, the inconvenience of it all is-my aggravation! Have a great week.

Joanne Banko

5/10/2020 22:17:04

Hi Pat! I know you have a lot of memories of your mom to hold on to and to cherish. It's amazing to see the treasures a mom may keep, especially the things we have long forgotten about. I have a box with some of the same sorts of things. They are precious pieces of the past for sure. Take care and I'll look forward to seeing your when this is all behind us.

Karen L Roop link

5/10/2020 10:54:34

She taught me to be the woman and mother I am today and I love her for it. I am strong and passionate about everything in my life. I miss her every day, but especially today because it was also her birthday.

Joanne Banko

5/10/2020 22:19:54

Hi Karen! I feel for you today in thinking about your mom. Cherish your memories today and everyday!

Judy Romano

5/10/2020 11:05:13

Loved your story Joanne. My mom taught me that I was loved. We were stolen from her at age 5. She tried to stay in touch but couldn't. We were raised by my father who had no love to show. I remember her sewing us little tank and shorts outfits. I was just old enough to have great memories of her and I know how much she loved us. It's been about 50 years now since she died and I still feel her love and miss her terribly. Hold onto your mom's tightly and always let them know how much you love them. I pray my mom feels my love up in heaven. Happy Mothers day to all

Joanne Banko

5/10/2020 22:22:04

Hi Judy, No one can take away the love that your mom had for you! Hold tightly onto that knowledge and cherish the good memories you had with her. Take care my friend!

Theresa Casteel

5/10/2020 11:16:51

Thank you for the post. Can you tell me the size of the Roses for Mom portion of the design?

Joanne Banko

5/10/2020 14:06:10

Hi Theresa! This design fits a 4” X 4” hoop. The exact size is 3.76" wide X 2.78" high. Hope this helps!

Theresa

5/11/2020 08:50:52

Excellent - thank you.

June Olberding

5/10/2020 14:48:35

Beautiful rose and gift design!
My Mom taught me strength, independence, integrity and Honesty. I live by these values and love her for teaching me everything.

Joanne Banko

5/10/2020 22:23:17

Hey Junebug! Yes, I see all those things in you!!! Many thanks to your mom for teaching you well :-)

Kathy Miller

5/10/2020 16:50:52

I have a question about the design. Why do you need both WSS and netting? Does the design not stand alone without the netting? Why not just hoop netting - maybe more layers?
Thanks for all you projects and for sharing your expertise!

Joanne Banko

5/10/2020 22:27:44

Thanks for writing Kathy! I appreciate your comment and your questions. You could try multiple layers of netting. In my experience the water-soluble stabilizer helps provide something for the stitches to grab onto so they form well. In particular, satin stitches can get "scrunched up" if they are stitched on a really lightweight surface. If you decide to experiment let me know how it works out.

Dolores

5/12/2020 08:46:22

I am new to your site and enjoyed making the Mother Day. My mom couldn’t sew a stitch. What she excelled at was hand embroidery. I still have and use runners, center pieces and table cloths.

Joanne Banko

5/13/2020 17:13:28

Hi Dolores! Welcome! I'm so happy you found the site. How interesting to know that you mom didn't sew by machine but was a skilled hand stitcher. I'm sure your inherited items are well loved and cherished :-) While machine sewing continues to grow and experience popularity in many different areas, hand stitchery is not nearly as common. Thanks for leaving your comments. Keep in touch!

Author:

Joanne Banko
Brother Ambassador

I'd love to stay in touch with you!

Click Here
and Sign up for
Sewing News, plus tips, tricks, and notifications about new blog posts.