Jo-an-Ray

About 10 years ago I decided to undertake the ambitious project of cross stitching a picture of my parent's house (my family home) for their 50th wedding anniversary.  Apart from the fact they had lived all their married life in this house and that it had undergone two major renovations, this robust house had also survived two catastrophic floods - the 1974 flood where the waters totally inundated it and the 2011 flood where it peaked at just under the roof.  I also wanted a sentimental keepsake for my parents as I knew that eventually they would 'move on' to retirement accommodation and this would provide memories for them.

The cross stitch program I have enables me to import a photo which will automatically convert it into a chart and then tweak the colour if needed.  I should add here that this was the third cross stitch house project undertaken (the others will be the subject of future posts) so I felt confident enough with the task of emphasising the shading and lighting required to create a realistic interpretation of the 'real thing'.  There were many computer hours spent on perfecting the 34 colours used, but many, many, many more in the stitching process which comprised of a total of 64,518 stitches and 362 stitching hours (yep I kept track!!). Framing completed the work beautifully and it hung proudly in their lounge room and was one of the very first items to be whisked out of the house with the threat of another flood in 2011. 

After the flood my parents did indeed 'move on' to retirement village accommodation and hung their family home portrait proudly in their lounge room.  But the fate of the actual house is an interesting story with it first being sold to an investor for rental purposes and then later sold to a developer where it was duly demolished to make way for construction of a newer and modern house.  We had heard from old neighbours and friends still living in the area that construction of the new building was well underway so the other week my Mum and I went to visit the site and inspect the progress and simply could not believe our eyes.

With the scaffolding it's a little difficult to get a true appreciation of the size, but let me tell you that this massive construction is actually two (2) three-level houses and with a pool in each backyard, there will be hardly any grass.  The neighbours have been practically built out with very little light or air flow or privacy.  I will post an update when the houses are complete.  

It really is hard for me to comprehend that 60 odd years ago a simple, small 2 bedroom hardboard house sat in the middle of this large quarter acre block and now all these years later 2 massive houses occupy it.  To think that I used to ride my bike around the house and then later when I had my drivers license and bought my first car that I could park it at the side of the house (of course Dad's car got the covered garage).

Jo-an-Ray was a 'play' on my parent's names of Joan and Ray and a very good family friend made a plaque with this name on it for them when they were first married and it was attached to the front of their house all the years they lived there.  When they sold the house, we made sure the plaque went with them.  It has been cleaned up and now sits proudly on the brick wall at the entrance to the new home and my cross stitch of the family home is proudly displayed in its new place on the lounge room wall.  It is indeed a beautiful family heirloom.

Ros

"We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves, otherwise we harden" - Goethe

Christmas Heirlooms

Christmas is always a special time of year with varying reasons for different people. Decorating the home and the tree certainly adds sparkle and that little bit of magic but I've always thought that it reflected our personalities, lifestyles and beliefs also.

Quite a few years ago when my children were very small, I thought it would be a lovely sentiment to make a couple of 'extra special' decorations that would be given pride of place in the home, hold 'extra special' meaning and which could be passed down as heirlooms.  This 'Merry Christmas' cross stitch is one such heirloom which always hangs in our front foyer and with its colourful design mix makes for a beautiful welcome which has received many favourable comments over the years.  Unfortunately, the details of the design have been misplaced and cannot remember who the designer is, but I do know it was an enjoyable challenge to stitch. This photograph doesn't do it justice (the glass prevented clarity) so I have posted a couple of closer shots below to give a better idea of the design as well as the embellishments used.

I'm not quite sure really which letter I prefer because there's uniqueness in each one and no two letters are alike but the quirkiness of the design, even to this very day, has me spending time poring over it each year when it's unwrapped and ready for hanging.  But what's really special is that my daughter loves it so much that she's asked for it to be passed down to her in years to come.  Of course, that was always my intention.

But the heirloom which I intend to pass down to my son - a wooden Christmas wreath - was painted when I was studying folk art and as a young boy he was fascinated with the brightly coloured toy ornaments.  He laid claim to this when I personalised it by putting his birth year on the train.  It hangs proudly in our kitchen against the pantry and attests to the many, many, many time consuming but rewarding hours devoted to painting each and every design.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas with family and friends and a safe and happy New Year and look forward to sharing more of my projects and encounters with nature with my readers and talking 'stitchy' talk in 2014.

Ros

'The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time' - Abraham Lincoln

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