Lesson Seven: I Love My Wife 💓
An extra special P.S.A. for an extra special guy
“Open up your eyes, then you’ll realize
Here I stand with my everlasting love.”
- Carl Carlton “Everlasting Love”
My husband Vinny and I met when his childhood best friend dated my best friend (and roommate) from college. Matt (Vinny’s best friend) kept telling me Vinny and I would really hit it off. I kept telling Matt I absolutely did not want to be setup.
Spoiler alert: Matt’s intuition was dead on. Vinny and I totally hit it off when we met in 2011 but we had to go through lots of falling apart (see also: not speaking for 4 years) in order to fall back together.
We have been married for 6 years now and there truly isn’t a single day (yes, even the really hard ones) that goes by where I am not so grateful for the way things happened and how they led us to where we are today. For me, it always has been and always will be Vinny.
I share this because it can be really difficult to “trust the timing of your life” - and that goes for anything, not just romance. Sometimes things fall apart so that better things can come together. It’s hard, it’s messy and you definitely can’t see the clearing in the forrest when you are trudging through it, but I promise you it is there.
Just keep walking.
Ok…..but back to the belt.
The year is 2021. I had not yet given Vinny his first *surprise* birthday belt (you can read all about it here) when I came across Kristine Kingston’s “I LOVE MY WIFE” belt.
I vividly remember the canvas made me actually laugh out loud when I saw it. What made me really fall in love with the belt was the fact that it was 20% off during a special trunk show at Lycette Designs. Needlepoint belt canvases are usually expensive so the opportunity to take advantage of some cost savings and still support a small business landed this bad boy in my cart in no time flat.
Having also learned many a painful lessons from the first belt I stitched, I knew that if I wanted to give this to my husband for his birthday the following year, I needed to start stitching ASAP to get it finished in time (especially since we had another baby on the way).
Ironically enough, stitching this belt really made me fall in love with stitching belts (I am who I am), and seeing the look on Vinny’s face when I gave it to him the following year for his birthday made me fall in love with him all over again.
This belt is *so* fun to customize however you want; is a simple and easy stitch and is a guaranteed conversation starter whenever it is worn. It is hands-down my favorite stitch to date.
Let’s dive into the details shall we?
Canvas: I Love My Wife Belt by Kristine Kingston via Lycette Designs
Threads: * (see Notes to Self)
Vineyard Silk Merino Wool “Misty” #M-1076 (seafoam green) linked here
Vineyard Silk Merino Wool “Cactus” #M-1146 (hunter green) linked here
Vineyard Silk Merino Wool “Simply Simmered” #M-1200 (orange) linked here
Custom Monogram: The Lady Derby via Lycette Designs* (see Notes to Self)
Stitches Used: Basketweave and (some) Continental. I did not do a binding stitch on this belt and simply added two extra rows to the top and bottom for finishing.
Finish Type: Men’s Belt
Finishing By: Hill Top Leather Shop (visit their site here)
Project Started: December 2021
Project Completed: July 2022
Notes to Self: Buckle up (pun intended) there are quite a few things to note….
Cost Savings: I bought this belt during a Lycette trunk show and was able to take advantage of some significant cost savings, especially since belt canvases are typically more pricey. As a (then) needlepoint newbie, this taught me to always wait for trunk shows for canvases on my wish list
Stitching with Wool: Another cost savings I was able to take advantage of was the fibers I used. My then LNS was discontinuing carrying Vineyard Silk Merino Wool and was selling it at 30% off. Since belts require more fiber than most projects, I jumped on the opportunity to kit the belt at a great price. Always always take advantage of sales like this. Super Side Note: This was my first time stitching with wool and I did notice the wool did get a bit lumpy in some spots, but overall was pretty painless to stitch with.
Finishing: I was burned absolutely fried by the finishing deadline the first time I stitched a belt (see: “Lesson Two”) and I was not going to let that happen again. I knew I wanted Hill Top Leather to finish the belt and since I knew their lead time and when I wanted to have the belt by, I worked my stitching backwards from there.
Example: Finishing Turnaround Time = 4 months; wanted to have the belt by Jan 1; belt needed to be at the finisher by September 1.
I really cannot say enough about Glynn and Patty at Hill Top Leather. Their craftsmanship is impeccable, they are delightful to work with, a wealth of knowledge and are totally worth the wait (you can see their work here). I love that they were also able to emboss my initials (lest we forget who stitched this in secrecy for months) on the belt.
and finally….
The Monogram: One of the biggest regrets I had stitching my first belt was the monogram. I tried to add the initials in as I was stitching, put them in the wrong spot, they got cut off during finishing and basically they look like hieroglyphic polka dots on the belt. This time around, I knew better and I knew I needed a plan early on, not when I got to that point in my stitching.
“To Thine Own Self Be True”: I knew adding a custom monogram was not something that was going to be able to pull off at that time and was totally fine with it. But I still wanted a custom monogram and if I wasn’t going to do it…..then who would?
The first name that came to my mind in 2021 was one and only The Lady Derby. I had followed her on Instagram and figured if she couldn’t do it, she would point me in the direction of someone knew could. To my pleasant surprise, she graciously accepted. But now where to add the monogram? Seems obvious, but was more tricky than I anticipated.
Here is how I did it:
Measured and understood exactly how much of the belt I would be stitching
Since I wanted Vinny’s initials to be prominent on the front of the belt, I factored in the excess stitching that would be lost in finishing (usually 3” of stitching on the ends of the belt) and from there determined my “safe zone” for the monogram
I wanted Vinny’s initials on the side with the leather strap (the side opposite the buckle) so they would always be visible whenever worn, regardless of the hole he used.
Charted out the placement on the belt for The Lady Derby
Started stitching the belt
It was when I was charting out the placement of the monogram on the belt that it dawned on me, “OMG what if we took out “WIFE” and replaced it with Vinny’s initials so it instead read “I LOVE MY VMC” ? A message within a message, you know, for the avoidance of doubt.
Game. Set. Match.
The Lady Derby was an absolute delight to work with and did such an incredible job with the monogram. I was stunned at the perfection when she gave it back to me. I am so thankful to have had the epiphany to phone a friend on this one because the final result is more than I had hoped for (don’t you love when that happens?!).
*You can find all of The Lady Derby’s fabulous work here available through Lycette Designs. If you would like her to add a custom monogram to a piece purchased through Lycette, you can do so through their website.*
To wrap this little love story up, there are so many things I love about needlepoint (a feeling I know you can relate to, dear reader) but the one that tops the list for me? The thrill of spreading the joy of needlepoint with others - whether by teaching someone how to stitch or by lovingly stitching a gift for someone. That to me, is where the real magic happens.
*Super Side Note: Make sure to check out the below reel. The music for the reel was in fact our wedding song, with actual footage of us and our guests during our First Dance.. felt all too appropriate to use!
Wishing you many a magical days ahead.
Love this so much
What a special story! Your love for Vinny is so evident!🩷🩷🩷