Who Did This?

The kids were doing their homework in the dining room when I found this on the kitchen floor by their backpacks.  I grabbed it, waving it as I confronted them, "Who did this - where did this come from - which one of you did this? " I asked.  They both looked like deer caught in the headlights.  Finally John piped up, "I did.  It was our project for Art Adventure but I didn't get time to finish it."

"Did you like it; did you think it was fun; would you like me to help you finish it?  I have lots of supplies downstairs if you want to make more."  I stopped myself here, knowing that I might be going too fast.  He had, afterall only done two stitches (technically 2 1/2 - if you could see the back you'd see that he made a half stitch through some back threads). 

Cross-stitch was the first craft I learned and I did it obsessively as a kid.  I loved (and love) the feel of the stitches as they start berming up next to each other; the way the pattern or design starts to come to life; the thought of ancient tapestries hanging on stone walls, covering secret passageways.  But my children have never shown much interest in any fabric or thread crafts (other than John enjoying the sound of acceleration when he steps on the sewing machine foot pedal).

"Yeah," he answered, "it was okay."  I can work with that!  I dug out my old pieces, some of them unfinished and have been working on them whenever my computer is "loading".  John stopped by the computer desk while I was working and examined a few pieces. 
"You did these?" he asked. 
"Yep, what do you think?"
"It's cool.  You should give it to me and I'll give it to my kids and we'll keep doing that for like a couple hundred years and then it could be in an art museum."
That's a compliment, right?