Sunday, March 29, 2009


"Four score and seven years ago . . ."

Liz M. from Philadelphia asked about the font specs for the sampler. Well, here they are, photographed with a ring as a proportional gauge. The letters are a cross between primitive-style sampler letters and handwritten script.

Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address in November of 1863. "Four score and seven years ago" refers to 1776, when "our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in Liberty . . . " I recently watched the HBO "John Adams" series which brilliantly chronicled the events leading up to 1776. How gratifying it was to see Paul Giamatti in a formidable role, as John Adams. I'm probably the only person on the Upper West Side of Manhattan who hated "Sideways" -- an insipid film that squandered Giamatti's great talent. (But what do I know? -- "Sideways" won an Oscar.) The film is set in California wine country and supposedly had an impact on the wine industry. Heck, all I remember was a non-stop kvetch-fest between two guys. Seems to me that "Sideways" was all about the whine industry.

Hey, if you're on Jeopardy and Alex asks about the year of the Gettysburg address, simply add "four score and seven years" (87) to 1776 -- and that equals 1863. When you're stitching words at geologic speed -- usually after midnight, at an average of one word per hour -- there's time to think about these things.

Folks have asked about the photos on this blog -- the stitching, designs, etc. In a parallel universe I'm the owner of Primrose Needleworks and this is a homespun blog chronicling the creation of "272 Words," a new design. All the needlework shown on this blog is designed and stitched by yours truly. I'm using photos of published and unpublished designs under the Primrose Needleworks copyright. Most closeups are snippets of larger designs, like the scottie pic.

Holly asked that I post a photo of the scottie sampler . . . this is "Colette's Dog Sampler" and I'm sure President Lincoln would have agreed with Colette, the French author whose quotation is featured herein.


8 comments:

  1. No, I hated Sideways too, and so did my sister-in-law. Maybe we should form a support group.

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  2. Lili, THANK YOU! I love your idea of a support group. I just heard from another friend who hated "Sideways." We're everywhere and we're right!

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  3. Liz ~ I love your designs! In fact I'm going to google primrose next! I like your history facts... Keep posting... you're in my favorites!
    KimV

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  4. Kim, like you, I'm a history buff. Lincoln's life is fascinating, complex and inspirational. As soon as my civic duty is done (filing 2008 taxes, LOL), I'll resume work on the sampler. Thanks for stopping by!

    Liz (aka An American Stitcher)

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  5. Terry a/k/a Theresa RachtApril 14, 2009 at 6:03 PM

    I too hated Sideways! It was a despicable movie and I never understood all the hoopla about it. Another one I lump in the same category is The Squid & The Whale. In fact, I disliked it even more, lol! If someone ever suggests watching The Squid & The Whale, run, run far and fast!

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  6. Terry, you saved me from spending a few hours on The Squid & The Whale. Thanks for the de-recommendation. "Sideways" is one of the worst films ever made. I was mad at myself for watching it all the way through and not ripping it out of the DVD player after the first 15 minutes of insipid dialogue.

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  7. Theresa a/k/a TerryApril 27, 2009 at 9:16 PM

    At least you didn't spend $10+ to see it in the movie theater! I wish I'd just rented the dvd. In fact, it turned me away from movies in theaters for months afterwards, lol.

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  8. Sideways was god awful! But don't cross out "Squid and the Whale" based on one person's opinion. It may also have unlikable characters but it was excellent.

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