One day Bob was in the cross stitch department and he started telling me about his favorite hobby. It's seldom we've been able to feature a man in this article, and Bob is certainly a worthy addition to our collection of featured people, so I was pleased when he consented to letting me photograph and interview him.
Before he started stitching, he had been working on a difficult 6,000 piece jigsaw puzzle of a schooner on the ocean. His wife, Phyllis, was nearby working on a cross stitch project, and suggested he try her hobby for a change of pace. He thought, "Why not?" His wife and daughter both enjoy it, so he'd give it a try. His first piece was an intricate sampler, and he went on to do one after another major masterpiece. Though he's worked on 32 count linen, with the aid of a "round the neck" magnifier, he likes working on 16 or 18 count evenweave fabric best.
Bob's artwork is admired by all who see it. Many people ask why he doesn't sell his pictures, but Bob wouldn't know how to put a price on them, even if he were interested in selling them. Each piece is a major part of his life as he watches it grow in front of him, and many are hanging in his home where he and Phyllis can continue to enjoy them.
He's retired form Fabricated Steel Products where he was a foreman, and now does a lot of work with the Shriners, as a volunteer driver, taking children to the Shriners' Hospitals in Chicago and Cincinnati. He takes his cross stitch along to work on in the waiting rooms.
Bob would recommend cross stitching to anyone. He finds it so relaxing and rewarding to see a picture appear from a blank piece of fabric as he stitches. It's something he can carry around, as well as sit back and relax with (unlike the puzzles). It's an inexpensive pastime, he says, when you look at the number of hours he puts into a piece, compared to what those hours would cost golfing, or bowling, for instance. He does his own framing, also, which reduces cost. He does a beautiful job with both his stitching and framing. We appreciate Bob's being willing to share his joy of cross stitch with us, and second his recommendation.
Needlework is an equal opportunity pastime, giving enjoyment to both men and women, (children, too). Just pick up a needle!
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