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

Jo-an-Ray Update

In the post of 9 September last year about my parent's house, I promised to give an update on the progress of the two new houses which were being built on their block of land.  You may recall how it was once a humble, small two-bedroomed house that, over time, had undergone a couple of renovations to accommodate a growing family and also suffered extensive damage by two devastating floods. 

This was the family home - my childhood house - that I decided to cross-stitch for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary - the house that they had spent all their married life in.  It was sold after the 2011 flood and demolished to make way for two very contemporary styled houses.

Well today my Mum and I were in the area and drove past the newly finished houses and were wonderfully surprised.  We realise the whole suburb is undergoing a demographic change with very modern houses being built and squeezed onto smaller blocks against the much older and characteristic Queenslander styled houses on larger blocks and for the most part it all works well together.  

These houses might stand out against the older smaller houses close by, but are really beautiful in design and presentation.

Visiting the site today made me realise how very pleased I am that all those years ago I made the effort to stitch a keepsake of the family home that once occupied that block of land as there is absolutely nothing remaining (trees, fence, driveway, etc.) as a reminder.  But when I took my Mum back home to her retirement unit, the framed cross-stitch of the family home on the wall greeted us ... and it was a wonderfully warm feeling.

Ros

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us" -Ralph Waldo Emerson 

New Release - Wedge-tailed Eagle

My latest design release is an impressive, but somewhat intimidating, creature merely because of its size, power and features.  Sometimes known as an Eaglehawk, the Wedge-tailed Eagle (named for its distinctive long, diamond-shaped tail) is the Northern Territory's fauna emblem and is found throughout mainland Australia in a natural habitat of woods, forested land and open country.  

As Australia's largest bird of prey, the Wedge-tailed Eagle is often seen perching high on a dead tree, pole or prominent rock or majestically soaring to heights of 1800 metres on a massive and powerful wingspan of 2 to 3 metres hunting or spotting their food source which consists of smaller animals, reptiles, birds and carrion.  With long strong broad wings, fully feathered legs all the way to the feet, keen eyesight and a sharp, formidable beak and claws, their prey simply don't stand a chance when swooped upon.  Interestingly, the female eagle is larger and heavier than the male and builds its nest of dead sticks in the tallest tree or cliff edge in a location with views of its home range and breeding territory.  The Wedge-tailed Eagle is known to sometimes make whistling, yelping and squealing noises.  

My cross stitch design consists of 10 colours and is 89 x 83 mm in size (3.5 x 3.3 inches).  It is another personal favourite and I was very pleased with how I was able to depict the power and strength of the Wedge-tailed Eagle's features and sharpness in its eyes.  Perched very high on a rock in a location where the land below could be vastly surveyed meant the sunset sky backdrop could be used to advantage.

 

I'm sure this design would make an impressive card for any wild bird lover but would look equally as spectacular as a framed item of work.

Ros

'The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes' - Marcel Proust