A visit to the past

This week has been sooo busy. I had a great time teaching Evangeline, my Renaissance Angel  on Friday.

The first class  for a new design is always a bit fraught for me, worrying that I have got everything right. But everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and they  worked so hard - they didn't even stop for a cup of tea in the afternoon - there's dedication for you! I'm hoping to have pictures of some of the dolls when they have been completed.

Now it's back to  working up my new designs - and hopefully I will have another little project to share soon.

Meanwhile I would like to show you some textile tools that are a bit 'different'. At this time of year when we are thinking about Remembrance,  I unpacked yet more of my needlework treasures.

Doesn't look  much does it? A rather shabby, grubby old cotton pouch in a bag; the ties have come off and been replaced with cord, just tied on. Any ideas? Well, the old card of thread may give a you a clue.

This was my dad's army 'housewife',  from  the Second World War, which was issued as standard kit for repairing uniforms. He was in the Royal Signals Corp,who provided important communications services and this travelled with him from Catterick Camp in Yorkshire,  to India, where he was stationed for much of the war. My parents were married in 1943, and how they met really is a beautiful story -  it was 'love at first sight'.

Inside the pouch  it's exactly as it was when he finally returned home. You don't get reels of thread like that any more!

I had a big lump in my  throat when I saw this again. It reminds me of my beloved dad, and also  makes me think about soldiers of all races and creeds, sitting on their bunks mending a tear or darning a sock, wondering if they would see their loved ones again; and dreaming of home.......