By Sheri LeClair Banitt
I remember working on this lace tablecloth in the mid to late 1990s, a time when I was working and raising two young girls. I had made one in the Queen Anne’s lace pattern for my grandma and a different pattern for my mom. This tablecloth was going to be for me. It was size 20 cotton and a size 1 hook. Once you know the pattern, it is a mindless distraction while you watch television or during any seated delay like a doctor’s waiting room.
I pulled it out of a drawer today and wondered what stopped me from finishing it. It measures 50″ x 30″ now. When I saw the coffee stains, I realized they were the showstopper. I must’ve put it aside thinking I would soak out the stains another day. And here we are. Another day, thirty some years later.
Moving an unfinished project from here to there for thirty years seems a bit lazy. But crafters know the toll lace crochet takes on hands and fingers. For me, keeping this one was more like an exercise of hope and optimism. Surely the day would come when I had time to fix and finish this piece.
Today is the day. But as with the passing of time, comes the wisdom of age. I am no longer the young woman who started this piece and my hands and arms boast arthritis as testament to my past fervor. Anything I make now must have clear and finite rules for utilization and completion.
I will wash and remove the coffee stains, and this dresser scarf will be finished!
