None of the quotes relating to “idle hands” would apply to Pearl Keister of Broadway. An 89-year-old great grandmother of many, Pearl has always had some kind of project in the works.
Having grown up in Broadway, Pearl was married just before she turned 18. She was always sewing on a treadle machine; her creativity knows no bounds. When her husband became ill, she had to stop using the treadle machine, because it made too much noise, disturbing him. Pearl said, “I had to do something, so I picked up a needle and thread and started doing embroidery work.” She also started doing cross stitch – a detailed, and very quiet, handwork.
Her most recent work has taken her 10 years to complete. With the help of her good friend, Peggie Ruple, they pieced together all of the intricate sunflower blocks Pearl had been patiently stitching since 2013. Pearl still has the 2013 receipt from Whitmer’s (now J&B Country Store) where she bought her embroidery cotton to start working on the sunflower blocks.
Pearl was working hard at the blocks, but was forced to take a break, when she had to have cataract surgery, and “that knocked me out of stitching for a while.” She has now finished enough blocks to make a second sunflower quilt!
Pearl’s cozy kitchen with a small oval dining table was not big enough to lay out the queen size quilt properly. It needed to be reworked. Peggie was able to use the long banquet tables in her church hall, Bethel Church of the Brethren, and she and Pearl worked side by side putting it all together. Peggie put the backing and binding on.
When judges look at a piece, the neatness of the reverse side of the cross stitch is almost as important as the front. Pearl’s work is perfect. The sunflower quilt was entered in the Rockingham County Fair this year and won first prize!
Although impressive, this was not her first blue ribbon from the fair! It was, by far, the largest!
Pearl’s great grandson proudly brought out more of Pearl’s handiwork. Many of the carefully folded and stored pieces had won 1st and 2nd place ribbons. Many more were just made for everyday use, and will probably be handed down to her family. Each piece was as lovely and carefully stitched as the one before it.
From pillowcases, to doilies, antimacassars, bedsheets, dresser scarves, and more, the designs were reminiscent of times gone by, when handiwork was revered, and sometimes a necessity to decorate a home.
Embroidery work like Pearl’s may be viewed as somewhat of a thing of the past, although fiber arts and handwork are becoming popular again. As with everything nowadays, the cost of materials has gone up. But one thing that will not go by the wayside is artistry and patience and love for handwork – and that is shown in each piece that Pearl has displayed or carefully stored away.
