I picked up the pillowcases I am embroidering and worked on them again. I have most of the outlining done on the first one, but I still have most of the second one to do (including some of the cross-stitching).

I like doing embroidery because, like hand-quilting, it requires a lot of focus. Make one stitch. Then make the next one right next to it. Stay in line. Stick to the pattern and you will have good results. It may not be "creative" in the sense that you are following an established pattern, but it does require a certain level of technical skill and attention to do it well - for example, I try to make all the backstitches for the outline the same length, so they look good.

But of course, I follow the pattern. I was thinking the other day, "You know, if I just said "forget color matching" and went and used whatever floss I wanted, or went and got one of those skeins of multicolored floss and did the pillowcases in that, the picture would be a big mess and look like nothing, but I bet it would get put up on Craft Blog or one of those sites, as this example of wonderful subversive art where someone takes a "corporate" kit and "subverts" it by not following the directions." Because "edgy" is the new pretty, apparently.

I don't know. I like the pillowcases. They are pretty. Working on them relaxes me. And I guess that's good enough. But I will say it makes me sad when people who make stuff like, say, the "bacon wrap" (a crocheted shawl made to look like a giant bacon slice) get all talked up on some of the DIY blogs, and the people out there doing incredibly complex and (to me at least) beautiful traditional lace shawls are all but ignored. (I wonder if it's a subtle ageism: most people over 30 or so wouldn't wear a "bacon wrap," but you can wear a lace shawl any time and most any place. And I wonder if it isn't partly the "not your grandma's..." attitude that's crept in places. Sometime I would like to see a little celebration of our individual or collective grandma's crafts...because if they didn't continue to do them, there would be no antique quilts to inspire quilters today. Or there would be no filet crochet designs to make people think of doing new designs. Or no one would remember how to turn a sock heel. It makes me sad when I feel like the people who came before us in the craft are being swept under the rug in favor of what is "edgy" and "new" and "hip." Because, not only is it right to honor our elders or foremothers/forefathers, but also there are an awful lot of us out here who are not edgy and hip - who want to do more traditional style craft - and it's frustrating to have to hunt for information on that whereas there are many websites out there detailing what the "rockers" of the craft world are doing.

And yeah, I admit, it's a little bit of sour grapes, from someone who has never been a Popular, and who often looked at the Populars and said to herself, "They're not so great.")