Clinton News-Record, 1975-08-28, Page 1arding hobby stated as thera
by Elaine Town. shend
in October 1970, Mrs. Mary
Bruinsma, then of Goderich
Township, suffered a stroke that
paralysed her lett side. She spent
five months,in the Goclerich hospital.
where she , received physiotherapy
daily. After her release, she
returned three times a weekfor
more treatments. When she and her
husband. . • Douwe, moved to Clinton
last Sumner. the therapy continued
in the Clinton Public Hospital.:
"The therapists told me, 'Keep
busy., that's the best medicine,' "•
she recalls.
Part of her therapy included
learning to do needlepoint with one
hand.. She pinned- the material to a
cushion so it wouldn't slip. Then she
laid. her left hand . on the cushion on
her lap, and with her right hand, she
wielded -the needle.
Although she had no previous
experience, she mastered the art.
Now needlepoint is her full-time
hobby. She has created hundreds of
beautiful tapestries, pictures,
cushion tops. dresser covers,
tablecloths and doilies.
To make a doily, she winds the
yard on a metal frame and combines
bright colours, such as green and
white or rose and yellow. She
completes a doily in three days, but
a cushion toptakes five weeks. A
tablecloth requires a long time and a
lot of patience.
Much of hermaterial comes from
her native Holland. Her Sister sends
her a soft fabric that is unavailable
in Canada. Because she can't sew,
her daughters apply the finishing
touches to`her fancywork. They add
the padding to the cushions and the
backing to the dresser scarves.
Are the materials and tools ex-
pensive? "They're not so cheap,"
she concedes. But the results are
worth the money ar4he labour.
She sells . some of her finished
products Uut gives most of them
away. With eight children and 29
grandchildren, she always has a
birthday, wedding or Christmas gift
to make.
"My faintly likes to get things that
I made myself," she explains.
Anyone who sees her attractive
handiwork understands why, Her
current prosect is a white wall
hanging on which Dutch windmills
are stamped. The bottom design
represents the oldest style of the
windrnills, built in the 1800s. Each
picture shows a change in the ar-
chitecture.
Another tapestry features various
Dutch buildings, including a church
and the city halls of some capitals.
One dwelling stretches across a
narrow river and contains an arch,
under which people skate during the
winter. The pictures remind Mr. and
Mrs. Bruinsma of their early lives in
the northern part of Holland.
They - immigrated to Canada • in
1951.. During the next 23 years, they
farmed at several locations ' in
Goderich Township. Last year they
moved into their present house on
Wirth Street in Clinton. Five
members of their. family reside in
the Goderich area; the other three
live in Montreal, London and
Wingham,
Besides making needlepoint gifts
for her family. Mrs. Bruinsma
paints pictures with liquid em -
1IOitt Year No. 35
or Clinton woman.
broidery and rads. She needs help
with the housework, but she cooks
the meats.
Although she no longer takes
treatments at the hospital, she
devotes each evening to therapy at
home. One exercise involves a rope
and a pulley. To stresgthen the
muscles in her arms, shaises and
lowers each arm by pulling the rope
through the wleei.
She usually works at her
needlepoint in a cheery porch beside
the kitchen. When the weather is
nice, she moves outdoors. where she
can enloy her husband's hobby -
fiowers. Pink and white petunias fill
the flower bed in front of the porch
andline the sidewalk to the street.
A recent operation on her left foot
confined her to the house most of this
summer. She enjoyed some drives
though. She watched the Centennial
Parade from their parked car, and
with the other spectators, She
marvelled at its length. She also
heard some of the entertainment at
the grandstand.
Mrs. Bruin_arna still follows the
advice of her therapists and proves
it is sound; she keeps busy. Needless
to say, her hobbies and everyday
chores require much patience.
• "At first, it was hard," she ad-
mits, "But now l can take it. Some
people like me do nothing that's not
good. We should all keep busy, our
hands and our minds."
Mrs. Bruinsma keeps busy by
turning out beautiful needlepoint
that her family and other people
cherish.
story hil Elaine TowoseRd
photos 6g Jim FiizeraId
rna of North Street
+i t cturs that
they,