Aunt Rheeta’s Bible Cover

photo from www.abc-roidery-designs.com web site

Several years ago, my mother, Aunt Rheeta (Mother’s sister) and I treated ourselves to a sewing retreat. We loaded up several machines and sewing supplies and headed to our cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. That’s when both my mother and Aunt Rheeta first tried machine embroidery.

Though she had never even sat at a sewing machine, let alone one with machine embroidery capability, she took to it like a duck to water. I might add that she was 70 at the time. And now, she not only embroiders but sews and does her own alterations!

With all due respect to my very attractive, fit and un-elderly aunt, the truth is that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

Since then she has gotten a fabulous Brother ULT2002D and has never looked back. An earlier post shows the communion cloth she made for her church. On a subsequent visit, she made this cover for her Bible. ABC Machine Embroidery Designs offers both a free standing lace collection, Christian Bible Lace and very detailed, excellent project directions. You can view the ABC embroidery designs here.

This ultrasuede Bible cover is just spectacular. I have posted the photo from ABC Machine Embroiderybecause the color of Aunt Rheeta’s cover does not show true. Her’s is a deep rose with deep maroon free standing lace embroidery. But no detail was visible without brightening, highlighting and then adding shadows. Now detail can be seen but the color is nothing like the real thing. So be advised that her’s is just as lovely as the one on the ABC site.

The back cover has another free standing lace embroidery. The photo is a little blurry but you can make out the design.

She didn’t stop with the cover. She embroidered three satin ribbon bookmarks with Christian symbols. Above each lace symbol, she has attached a tiny brass charm.

I’d like to mention that Aunt Rheeta served as a missionary in the Soviet Union and is an outstanding model of Christian womanhood. She has taught the adult Sunday School class at her church for 25 years, is past president of Women Aglow and has read the Bible several times.

It’s interesting that this beautiful Bible sits on her coffee table, giving her peaceful pleasure as it sits and loving joy when she reads it. But her “everyday” study Bible has a heavy, embroidered denim cover, and it’s almost worn out!  She is one fine woman and I love her dearly.  I’m blessed to have her as my aunt and my dear friend.