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New Jersey Eastern Star Home
SkilledNursing Care
New Design
& Expansion!
Making a Difference in the Lives of Seniors
• Open to the public and welcoming all
• Assistance with activities of daily living
• Medication administration
• On-site physician services, licensed nurses and
C.N.A.’s on duty 24/7
• Laundry and linen services
• Housekeeping and maintenance
• Scheduled transportation to doctors’
appointments
• Varied social, educational and spiritual programs
• 24/7 emergency response
“My mother’s outlook has
brightened due to the help and
support she receives from the
nurses, aides, and everyone
else at New Jersey
Eastern Star Home.”
• Private rooms with bathrooms and spacious showers
• Flat screen TV and WiFi access in room
• Dining room with garden view
NEW! Nursing Wing
We Also Provide Short-Term Sub-Acute
Rehabilitation and Short-Term Respite Care.
For more information or a personal tour: 908-722-4140
111 Finderne Avenue, Bridgewater, New Jersey 08807
www.njeasternstarhome.com
Heath Village
A Unique Retirement Community!
No Life
Care Fees!
If you are looking to remain
independent
and
active,
then
Heath Village is the place for
you. An energetic retirement
community with a history of
resident satisfaction, financial
stability and uncompromising
service, Heath Village has been
an affordable retirement choice
for 50 years.
OPTIONAL ENTRANCE FEES
Call 908-684-5009 TODAY to
reserve your spot at our
Open House!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us for our SPRING OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, April 30th: Tours 11 am or 12:30 pm
430 Schooley’s Mountain Road
Hackettstown, NJ 07840
info@heathvillage.com
www.heathvillage.com
www.facebook.com/heathvillage
RECORD KEEPING
WITH HAND EMBROIDERY
By: Carolyn Hanson
Carolyn Hanson is a local knitting and crochet designer, teacher and fiber artist. She can be contacted at
cchanson3@gmail.com
.
Back in 2003, my mom sent me a Newsday article about a large Swedish family who record-
ed their “49” births onto the family christening gown. Each family branch used a unique
color thread to identify the family tree. It was quite colorful and filled with names. The dress
traveled across land and ocean to meet the growing demands. I saved the article with every
intention of embroidering our names into our family gown (10 births). Then life got busy
and the grand children grew.
Jump to 2015 with the birth of my family’s first great grandchild, my mom announced to
my nephew that the newest member needed to be added to the hem with the others. Alas,
I needed to confess that I had never added the prior names, oops. So, the race against the
clock began.
Our family christening gown is now 90 years old and still in
pristine condition. The gown was hand made by my pater-
nal grandmother in 1926. The dress is fine handkerchief
linen with inserts of handmade lace ribbon, and mother-of-
pearl buttons down the back. The slip is sturdier cotton
with an 6” eyelet edge. It’s simple and beautiful.
Hand stitching is not my strength, and certainly not
freeform like this required. I needed a plan
1. Stitch Style
- I started by going on-line and researching the best stitches for mono-
graming; the Stem Stitch was chosen since it did not leave spaces like a running stitch.
2. Font
- I scanned the various script fonts available on the computer, settled on “Lucida
Handwriting,” typed each first and middle name and birth year, and printed using 22 pt.
font size.
3. Thread
- I wanted a white-on-white effect using the slip as the canvas. [Did not want
the stitching to show through the gown.] My expert sewing friend (HF), suggested using
the palest gray available from DMC. I used #762. Brilliant!
4. Supplies
- Pencil, embroidery hoop, scrap cloth, light board
5. Practice
- Using scrap cloth and pencil, I placed the printed name under the cloth and
traced. Then cut 24” of embroidery floss and separate the six strands into groups of 2. I
liked working from right to left, but choose what seems most natural to you. Follow the
traced lines, keeping the stitches uniform in length. I did not use any knots but caught
the thread underneath. Continue practicing until you are satisfied with the results. Don’t
forget to gently hand wash your sample to make sure the pencil washes out. I used a
mechanical pencil and had no issues.
6. Layout
- Decide where you want to place the names. It took me 2 tries to get this right.
HF suggested a family tree layout after I had already started with a linear design. I agreed
and I undid several hours of stitching to set the new layout, which I love. So spend some
time planning for current and the future additions.
7. Placement
- The names need to be straight and spaced according to your design. This
is where the light board comes into play, if you are lucky enough to have one. I laid the
fabric over a grid and then slid the paper template in-between the grid and the fabric.
Then lightly trace all the names.
8. Stitching
- Using an embroidery hoop, I started at the center bottom and moved upward
and outward. The hoop assures that the fabric does not pucker.
9. Finishing
- Gently hand wash the garment to remove the pencil stenciling. I used Ivory
Soap for babies, followed by air drying and pressing.
Here is the finished product. It’s really lovely and ready for the 4th generation of
Cianciabella’s and beyond.
You can make any item into an heirloom. Use a pillowcase or
blanket. Identify a keeper who will keep it clean and stored away
until the next use. If it yellows with time, common, make a wash
or a capful of bleach to a gallon of water. Do not soak, but dip
until the color changes, then rinse. You can also bleach naturally
by leaving in the sun.
Welcome ARR, #11 in our family tree.
PAGE 44
Spotlight on
“SeniorS”
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