Sunny Days and Auntie May

We have woken this morning to a glorious and cloudless day thanks to strong, gusty winds from the southern parts of the continent.  It's caused the temperature to drop giving a true indication of the impending cooler months, but that didn't stop me this morning from donning an extra layer of clothing and going outside into the fresh air to tend to my garden and do a spot of weeding.  It was while I was on my hands and knees happily soaking up the warm sunshine that I thought of my Auntie May who loved spending time sitting in the sun - albeit with a fresh cup of tea and her latest craft project.  

For anyone who has read the 'About Me' page on my website will know that Auntie May was a very special person in my life.  As a country lady, she never, ever had idle hands.   Her family were priority but she was also very involved in the community and church with activities where baking, sewing and gardening for charity fairs and helping the sick and elderly were commonplace.  She was the epitome of kindness and loved nothing more that a good conversation.  So it came as quite a shock and with so much sadness when Auntie May was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease which subsequently required her being placed into Aged Care.  

Whilst in Aged Care, I continued to send her cards for her birthday (by now I was sending her stitched cards) which my cousins tell me she admired and proudly showed everyone even though, sadly, she couldn't remember me.  It was the brainchild of one of my cousins to display these cards into a framed work of art so it could be placed on the wall and thereby help make her room look 'homey' and something which gave her much happiness.

Now, these designs have come from various sources, some of which I can't exactly recall.

This tulip design was a 'freebie' from a craft magazine and definitely one of my earlier attempts.  The kit included the threads and the pattern consisted of only full cross stitch, backstitch and leaf detail - very straightforward.

I think this dahlia design might have been from a cross stitch magazine and I would've been drawn to the shade variation of the flower and the interesting detail of the leaf edges.  It also looks as though there were a few half cross stitches and by that stage comfortable enough with my work to stitch a signature into the design.

Ahh..the teapot.  If Auntie May wasn't drinking a cup of tea, she had the kettle on boiling ready to make a pot and so I knew that this design would certainly resonate with her.  I believe this pattern was in a tear-out craft section of an old edition of the Australian Women's Weekly.  I just used threads from my limited stash and can remember feeling quite clever that I'd been able to co-ordinate the shading of the colours so well with what I had and I was obviously experimenting with techniques too because around the teapot lid and knob have been stitched small white beads. 

It is indeed a great pleasure to have given Auntie May enjoyment from work that she once derived so much satisfaction from herself.  And I can just imagine she would have scrutinised my stitching rather carefully ..... while sitting in the sunshine and drinking a hot cup of tea, of course.  

Ros

'God looks after those who help themselves and God look after those who do help themselves' - Auntie May

Tartan Thistles Needlecase

Let me start by wishing all mothers a Happy Mother's Day today.  I thought I'd show and share with everyone the gift I stitched for my own Mum and since she is someone who has always sewn, embroidered and attempted a variety of crafts, I knew she would appreciate the love and time devoted to this particular project.

Approximately 18 months ago, my elderly parents moved into a self-contained unit in a retirement village close to where we live and this came about not merely because of their age.  You see, in January 2011 their house was severely affected by the Brisbane floods and so they took the opportunity to move on to the 'next stage of their lives'.  Amongst the devastation and loss of so many personal and material possessions included the loss of most of Mum's craft fabrics, knitting needles and wools, crochet hooks, embroidery needles, threads, etc. and believe me when I say that she had collected a LOT over a lifetime.  Much has been replaced and she is still continuing to restock her supplies, albeit on a smaller scale and mostly this is because she has joined a weekly craft group within the retirement village which has given her a new and continuing outlet for her creativity.  Recently, I took her to the haberdashery section of our local Spotlight store to buy felt, fabric, wadding, needles and wool as the group were making small teddy bears for a charity which supplied them to a children's hospital.  Her teddies were so cute and very neatly stitched complete with satin stitch eyes and nose and blanket stitch around the body and I believe the other ladies were agog at the amount of effort she had put into the teddies, but Mum just shrugged and commented on how she thoroughly enjoyed the activity.

So when I recently attended the Brisbane Stitches and Craft Fair, I came across this needlecase kit which I thought my Mum would love and in particular the design, because she is of Scottish heritage.  The design is by Lesley Clarke for the Textile Heritage Collection and is part of a range consisting of a bookmark, sachet and scissor keep.

The placement of the stitching was very important because the fabric was to be folded in half and the edges folded over so measurement and centring was crucial.  The order in which colours were stitched was very important as well with the border and background stitched first.  The background colours were just long diagonal stitches held securely in place when the dark purple backstitch covered the grid.  The thistle design  consisted of cross stitch, backstitch and straight and diagonal longstitch over two or more holes.

Two separate pieces of cardboard slightly larger than each design were then cut and placed behind the two separate designs with the extra fabric firmly folded over and the corners neatly mitred and stitched in place.  The coloured felt which was part of the kit was cut in half lengthwise and one piece placed over the folded fabric and neatly stitched to the fabric - I used a herringbone stitch.  This was a time-consuming task, however it was necessary to ensure the fabric was held firmly and securely in place. 

The remaining length of felt was then placed inside and centred evenly over the stitched felt with the tassle loop slipped over and into the centre (between the two pieces of cardboard).  The loop was then neatly slip-stitched through all layers thereby holding the centre 'leaf' in place as well as the loop on the outside of the case slip-stitched ensuring that the tassle was held firmly in place.

I am pleased to say that my Mum was thrilled with her gift when I gave it to her last night when my parents were over for dinner and commented on how she will be able to put it to good use.  I can almost see her right now hard at work!

Ros

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love" - Mother Theresa

Embroidery - Machine vs Hand

Recently I attended the Brisbane Stitches and Craft Fair (as a visitor) and as always, was  'like a kid in a candy store' and totally in my element being surrounded by all the different types of craft and creativity.  I found it interesting to see and learn the new craft trends as well as the ones that have stood the test of time proving their popularity and also the crafts that have made a revival, albeit with a modern twist.  What was particularly lovely to witness was the cross-section of ages attending reinforcing the fact that interest in craft will continue.  

I noticed that there was quite a large representation of sewing machine companies showcasing  the embroidery techniques of their latest machines and their capacities were nothing short of amazing and awe-inspiring.  However, it got me to thinking .... how does machine embroidery compare and differ to hand embroidery? 

Now, right from the outset, I want to make it quite clear that I do not wish to be controversial or state that one form of embroidery is better than the other.  Having used both forms myself over the years it would be rather hypocritical of me to be that judgemental.  I well remember purchasing my 'top of the range' Janome sewing machine in the early 1980's (and which I still  own to this very day) capable of multiple embroidery stitches and which at the time was rather 'state of the art'.   My children's clothes and bed linen were proudly and lovingly adorned with beautiful machine stitching, able to be washed easily and adapted as they quickly grew.  

The way I see it, there seems to be a few advantages and disadvantages to both forms:

-    Let's start with the time factor - obviously handstitching is a lot more time consuming than stitching by machine.  Depending on the design and type of stitches used, the machine would power through the work in no time and depending on its purpose and the number of designs needing to be stitched, ending up being quite labour and cost-effective.  
-    However, the initial outlay of a sewing machine is costly whereas hand stitchers' basic requirements are relatively inexpensive.  
-    There is a limitation to the type of stitches machines can produce though giving hand-stitchers a wider range of choice and skills.  
-     Portability of hand embroidery is a real bonus for stitchers with the ability to carry work anywhere, anytime and pick it up and put it down as opposed to machine embroidery where that is not possible.  
-     Whilst there are a wide range of threads for both forms, hand embroidery gives the choice of multi-thread use useful for textured work and three dimensional effects.  
-     Certainly the issue of cleaning is a consideration -  machine embroidered items can easily be put in the washing machine albeit on a gentle cycle whereas hand-embroidered work requires careful attention with gentle hand washing and drying, thus making it time consuming work.  

For me though, I think what makes hand embroidery so appealing is the fact that it is a calming and relaxing pastime, skills are continuously honed and you finish with a unique, heirloom quality item and a real sense of accomplishment.  Hand stitched items made with love and given as gifts are always appreciated also.  Whilst smart technology makes machine stitching a realistic way of the future, hand stitching represents a link to the past spanning simply centuries.

Here are two baby blankets given to me when my children were born.  

The first one was hand-stitched by a family friend and the fact that she took the time to choose fabric, ribbon, a design and stitch it with me and my new born daughter in mind, makes it very special.

This blanket, with its machine embroidered motif, was given to me by my dear aunt when my son was born.

Two blankets, two different forms, but both special heirlooms which I wouldn't part with for all the world.

I guess, like with everything else, it comes down to choice and I would be very interested to read comments and views on this subject.

Ros

'Seek first to understand, then to be understood'. - Dr. Stephen R. Covey