By William Smith
Like all art, a cross-stitch makes an easy metaphor for life.
That is one reason 92-year-old Burlington resident Mary Marsh enjoys it so much. Every cross stitch pattern she takes on starts out as a blank slate.
Hours later, when she pulls back from the fabric in front of her, a pattern forms — the “X” shaped stitches take shape.
“You lay it down and come back and go, ‘Ooh,’ ” Marsh said. “As you’re working, you don’t see the whole thing. You just see a little piece.”
The inside of her house is decorated with framed cross-stitch displays that adorn the walls like paintings.
But her real passion — which turned into a family tradition more than 30 years ago — is making Christmas stockings for the family.
She has enough children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to keep her busy. She has cross-stitched 71 stockings so far.
One of her creations consists of over 17,600 stitches.
Her late husband counted them once, and that is the only time they bothered counting the nearly microscopic threads.
“If one of them (grandkids) calls and says they’re going to have a baby, I’m like, ‘I’ve got to make a stocking,’ ” Marsh said.
Seven years ago, Marsh underwent open-heart surgery. When she came out of surgery, she could barely move her fingers. Her favorite hobby was temporarily lost to her.
But Marsh did not give up that easily. Her daughter, Cheryl Dirth, recalls how hard her mother worked at rebuilding the dexterity in her fingers.
“She kept working at it, and now her fingers are as nimble as they were before the surgery. She went half a year or nine months without being able to cross-stitch,” Dirth said.
Like her mother, many of Dirth’s family memories are forever woven into Marsh’s cross-stitch patterns. She harbors fond memories of cross-stitched snowman pillows, and of course, the Christmas stockings.
Those memories take Marsh untold hours to create — sometimes 10 minutes at a time while riding in the car, or an hour or two while watching television.
“I’ve had people who want to buy them, but I wouldn’t even know how much to charge. I only make them for my family,” Marsh said.
Born in the former Burlington Medical Center, Marsh attended the defunct Prospect Hill Elementary, then went on to Horace Mann Middle School before graduating from Burlington High School and the College of Commerce. She worked at Murray Iron Works for 30 years, got married in 1952, and has been a constant volunteer around Burlington.
Those memories are retained in her works of art crafted with needle and thread.
“You’re supposed to keep your mind active, and cross-stitching does keep your mind active. It passes the time,” she said.
About two years ago, Marsh contracted COVID-19. She survived, but still has no sense of taste or smell.
“I was in the hospital for 10 days, and it wasn’t fun,” she said.
“It’s hard to tell anyone what it’s like because you’re out of it half the time. It’s hard to tell what’s going on. The first five days, I don’t know what went on.”
COVID-19 did not stop Marsh from cross-stitching — nothing ever has. And for as long as she’s alive, Marsh figures nothing ever will.
“I’m like the Energizer bunny,” she said with a grin.