Alphabets

Saturday evening while I was stitching the word "herringbone" for week three of SharonB's PSL class I thought about how much I like making up simple lettering. I have no idea about the fancy alphabets with flowers or other decorations nor the beautiful scripts that I sometimes see. But for quick use such as I need I think about the letters' similarities and the first letter I stitch in a particular group becomes the prototype for the rest of the letters in the group. This way I can stay consistent without making up a full alphabet or pulling out a book and copying a pattern from there. It must come from first grade training. I had a teacher who invented or retold a wonderful story about making the number five. Years latter I found that same story was also embedded in my sister's memory, too. I think she may have gone over all these letters with little stories as well. Perhaps all teachers of small children have a stockpile of such teaching aids.

Since the capital B is similar in many ways to the following letters: D, E, F, H, I, J, K, L, P, R, (S), T, (U, X, Y, Z). The letters in ( ) may be included in another group. C is similar to G, O, Q, (U) . M, N, (U) , V, W, (X, Y) make up another group. Sometimes I will split this group and do M, N differently from V, W. I may also do S and Z in a separate group by themselves or let them fall in the B group. Another group suitable for S is the C group. I let A stand by its self and make it up once I establish at least one other letter. I don't included it with the group with V automatically. This is because of the weight and spacing around this frequently used letter does not always please me if done in the same manner as V that is used less frequently. I use the same principles for lower case letters, too, although the groups vary a little.