Totes, Travel and Tears

This post is one of mixed emotions as our daughter and her very good friend departed Brisbane yesterday morning bound for a six week travel holiday to the United States.  Whilst we are so very happy and proud of them to have worked so hard to save money, showed independence by organising their own itinerary and made all the necessary arrangements themselves, I'm sure it's only natural that as a parent it has torn at the heartstrings to wave them goodbye at the airport and watch them head out into the big wide world on the adventure of a lifetime to fulfil a childhood dream.  Let me tell you that I'm not one that's good with airports or goodbye's at the best of times but the goodbye at the airport yesterday was ... well ... difficult.  With my son's comforting arm around me, I can only hope that people who saw me as we walked back to the car park assumed the reason for my tears and then just as I had some degree of control over myself by the time we arrived to pay for parking at the ticket machine, my daughter sent me a beautiful text from her iPhone - which, of course, only set me going again.  I have no idea how I drove home.

However, a 'little' part of me is travelling with our daughter on this journey.  A few years back when she began her travels around parts of Australia, I stitched a sachet bag for her which she always uses now for underwear and/or stockings to prevent them catching or snagging on other items in her luggage.

This design - Flap the Owl - was one in a range of 'funky' cross stitch kits from DMC which was packed from materials for Leutenegger. With the use of bright, block colours, the design stitched up easily and quickly and was then machine sewn onto contrasting fabric (from my stash) and bordered with bright ribbon to match the drawstring.

Because this idea has proved to be such a success, last weekend our daughter asked me if I would make her and her friend a couple of basic shoe bags (based on the same principle).  However, what she didn't expect was the opportunity this request offered to use my imagination to make something both personal and creative and so I set out by making three bags each using hard wearing fabric - drill and calico - from my stash.

The high heel shoe on the yellow bags were edged in button-hole stitch with contrasting coloured ribbon used for the drawstring according to the colour of the thread used and the 'Bon Voyage' bag was hand stitched using back stitch and red, white and blue filament-threading for the U.S.A. stitching.  The other slightly smaller bags featured the girl's names on each using colours to reflect their personalities and then those same colours used to form a posy of flowers with the lazy daisy stitch for the flowers and stem stitch for the stem.  They will use those particular bags for their flat shoes and sandals.  

It goes without saying that this project proved to be a very happy, pleasurable and rewarding one and the girls were simply overjoyed with them.  We wish them safe travels.

Ros

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page" - Augustine of Hippo

Groovy Babe Cushion

Today is a special day in the family with our daughter celebrating her 24th birthday and as my designing and stitching time has been drastically affected this year due to my Dad's health issues requiring my support, I thought I'd share the gift stitched for her a few years back.  Our daughter has always been a modern young lady, interested in fashion and bright colours, so this particular design suited her personality and tastes perfectly.  

Groovy Babe was one in a series of fortnightly designs from Cross Stitch Magic by Eaglemoss Publications where the graph, instructions and suggestions for materials and stranded cottons were provided as well as applications for each design, however, on this occasion I altered the colours to suit what was available in my stash at the time.  I chose to stitch the design on a panel, use contrasting fabric and a buttoned back enclosure enabling the insert to be removed and the cover to be carefully washed should the need arise.

The cushion is still lovingly displayed after all this time along with Groovy Babe's quirky posture, facial features, hair and dress sense.  

Ros

'That which is loved is always beautiful'  -  Norwegian proverb

A Quilted Gift

Nothing restores your faith in human nature more than the random act of kindness and generosity of strangers and this was clearly evidenced during the past week.  To give you a background, my very dear Dad has been sick for a few years now, but in particular this year has been quite a struggle for him as his health has deteriorated requiring numerous outpatient hospital treatment sessions and more recently three separate hospital stays in the space of four to six weeks. Along this journey, not only has he come into contact with and befriended many wonderful doctors and nursing staff, but allied health workers as well - physiotherapists, dieticians, pharmacists, etc. and on one particular occasion when Dad was receiving a regular treatment, he was paid a visit by a social worker by the name of Lyn.  Both my Mum and I were present when she visited and were impressed by her quiet, caring and unhurried nature.  On Dad's recent in-hospital stay, Lyn paid him another visit arming him with literature on tips for reducing stress including links to useful websites for meditation (all a little lost on a man of my Dad's age with certain attitudes towards such frivolous subjects, I'm afraid!).

So imagine our complete surprise and utter disbelief when, for no particular reason, Lyn presented Dad with a quilt to keep which she had hand stitched herself and carefully folded and neatly stored in another hand sewn carry bag.  On inspection it was clearly obvious that there had been many, many hours of tedious and skillful work spent on neatly stitching this large double-bed size and colourful quilt but to give it to someone who she had only known briefly left us all completely 'gob-smacked' (my Dad's words) and shaking our heads.  

Here is a close-up of  some of the colourful fabrics used in one particular section of the quilt.

However, what is considered quite the personal touch are three or four panels of hand stitched sayings strategically placed throughout the quilt which in itself would have been quite time-consuming.  This one shown here is an example.

Perhaps what was most touching of all though was the accompanying hand-written card stating washing and care instructions on one side and on the other side this heart-warming verse - 'May this quilt wrap you in a big warm hug - God bless".  

This quilted gift will be forever treasured.  Thankyou Lyn for your kindness.

Ros

"Kindness in words creates confidence, kindness in things creates profoundness, kindness in giving creates love" - Lao Tzu

Shamrock Biscornu

Perhaps I've been living on a different planet for the last couple of years and to some stitchers this may come as quite a surprise, but only just recently I discovered biscornus and think they're just so cute. The name, derived from a French adjective, means "skewed, quirky or irregular", "that which has an irregular form with projections" or "complicated and bizarre".  In fact they are small 8-sided wadding-stuffed ornamental pillows which can be used as pincushions, ornaments, key chain/mobile phone decorations, scissor fobs, sachets, etc. and are usually made of Aida cloth or linen and decorated top and bottom with embroidery, cross stitch or hardanger.  A button secures the centre of the cushion and helps give the small depression needed to finish the shape and beads, tassels, etc. can be used to further decorate and adorn and depending on the pattern added either during the design or finishing stage. Whilst biscornus can be of any size - small or large - it is, however, very important that both stitched sides are square and exactly the same size to ensure complete evenness during the stitch-up stage.  

My first biscornu attempt is this Shamrock Maze by Virginia Knutson of VeeandCo Cross Stitch Designs, a complimentary pattern she designed when we both participated as exhibitors in the Counted Wishes Festival a couple of years ago.  

As this was my first attempt, colours and buttons used were just from my stash and not the colours recommended by the designer, but it gave me the idea of the importance of keeping the work neat and square.

I won't go in to specifics on the finishing techniques of a biscornu as there are ample tutorials online.  A couple of helpful tutorial sites to visit though are www.own-two-hands-livejournal.com/4186.html and www.lhfinishingschool.wordpress.com/biscornu-class/. There are also books and a myriad of websites offering simply beautiful designs for inspiration. 

Recently I bought myself a book titled 'Teach Yourself to Make a Biscornu' from Bobbie Watts a fellow Aussie living in Tasmania.  She has produced some exquisite designs adorned with tassels, beads, cords and organza pom-poms and stitched with a variety of embroidery stitches and cross stitch.  I could very easily stitch each and every one of them - such is the stitcher's and crafter's dilemma.

Ros

'Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you' - Henry David Thoreau

The Geranium Fairy

Like any little girl growing up, our now .. almost .. 24 year daughter has gone through quite a few phases and her bedroom has reflected those phases along the way.  Now, as a confident and independent young lady, her tastes are, understandably, modern and contemporary.  But let me think now......   There was the bold and colourful phase where everything was so bright that you practically needed to wear your sunglasses just to walk into the room, the frangipani phase where she just loved the fragrance and simplicity of the island flower, the owl phase where she tried to convince us that it was her personality imparting wisdom, but which her brother vehemently denied and dismissed as nonsense!!  And then there was the fairy phase.  Fairyland, as it became known, lasted quite a few years and consisted of fairy doona cover and pillows, fairy wall frieze, fairy curtains and fairy 'glow-in-the-dark' ceiling stickers.  The obsession extended to covering school books with fairy pictures, fairy stationery, fairy colouring-in books, fairy wall calendars and beautifully illustrated, glossy fairy books (which to this day, I might add, are still part of her special book collection) and so on.

When my cousin from Melbourne visited one time, she became totally and utterly enchanted with Fairyland and upon her return home, when shopping one day, found a fairy cross stitch kit.  There was only one person she knew of who would love and appreciate this design and as a very kind gesture, bought the kit and posted it to my daughter as an addition to her room.

The Geranium Fairy was one in a series of cross stitch kits which DMC Myart adapted from original artwork    by the talented and self-taught artist Cicely Mary Barker, who, despite any formal training, came to international acclaim as an artist with the publication of her Flower Fairies books in 1923.

As can be seen by these close-up shots, the 29 colours of stranded cotton ensured that the delicate brushwork, fine detail and subtle shading transferred beautifully into cross stitch art.  

I can't recall now how long it took for me to complete stitching The Geranium Fairy but I do know it was  finished and framed in plenty of time for it to be part of Fairyland and before my daughter moved on to her next phase.  Now it adorns a wall in my workroom and is a constant inspiration for my love of nature.

Ros

'The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind.  But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions.' - Chanakya

New Release - Echidna

Today I proudly release a new design - the Echidna  - and would like to take the opportunity to explain a little about this rather unusual Australian mammal.  

Sometimes known as the spiny ant eater, the echidna is one of only three species of monotreme (mammals that lay eggs) in the world with the platypus being one and the other being an echidna restricted to the highlands of New Guinea.  They're common and widespread throughout most of Australia and can be found in a natural environment of open heathlands and forests and particularly common in dry open country on the east coast of Tasmania.  Echidnas grow to approximately 45cm in length and weigh anywhere between 2kg and 5kg but what makes this little creature so interesting is its body which is covered with cream coloured spines which are in fact modified hairs and which can reach to 50mm in length.  Fur ranging in colour from honey to reddish-brown and growing between the spines provides insulation.  What I found interesting when doing my research is the fact that Tasmanian echidnas are larger than their mainland relatives and that the fur is thicker and longer than those in warmer mainland areas which sometimes actually conceals the spines.  Because these spines are very sharp and can cause infections, echidnas should not be picked up without some form of skin protection.

The echidna has short limbs and powerful claws which prove very handy for rapid digging and elongated claws on their hind feet which curve backwards enable them to clean and groom themselves.  They are surprisingly good swimmers able to paddle with only their snout and a few spines showing.  Its long sensitive snout hunts for a diet of ants and termites and its strong claws tear open the ant or termite nest  and any insects in the nest are caught on its fast moving tongue which is covered with a layer of sticky mucous.

This shy little fellow moves slowly and carefully with a 'waddle' like gait and its activity differs depending on the location and temperature.  It is completely nocturnal in the warmer parts of Australia preferring to spend the daytime resting out in the heat sheltered in rotten logs, under bushes or in burrows whereas in the southern parts of Australia and particularly during winter, echidnas are active during the day.  They can live anywhere as long as there is a supply of ants and despite its thorny covering, this animal does have natural predators such as eagles and Tasmanian devils which, believe it or not, will actually eat the spines.

There is one thing that quite amazes me with the echidna and, to some extent, even makes me a little jealous. You see, when threatened by a predator, this clever little creature has the ability to disguise itself by rolling up into a little ball and seeking shelter usually under a bush, in a hollow log, burrow or such.  How many times in life, when faced with bad news and/or nasty and unpleasant situations (as well as nasty and unpleasant people) would it be so easy to just curl ourselves up in a ball and roll somewhere safe and hide where we didn't have to deal with such problems and hope that the world would just go away.

My designs contains 10 colours with two colours used as long stitches to denote spines, a pink tongue and black french knot eyes with backstitching only around the beak and claws.  Ideally sized for a card, this design would be perfect for depicting our natural Australian native fauna.

Ros

'Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it'  - Confucius

Snow Flake Bush

Over the last week or two winter has well and truly arrived in Brisbane (even though we are still officially in Autumn) and one of the best things about winter in the tropics is that we have the most glorious of days with minimal rainfall and warming sunshine. Although a lot of trees may lose their leaves during this time, one bush that makes an appearance with a spectacular display - if only for a short time - is the Snow Flake Bush.  They are in full bloom everywhere in our neighbourhood at the moment and so I thought I would feature this flowering bush whilst currently at its most beautiful.  

Originating from Central America, the Euphorbia leucocephala bush is grown in many countries and as such has been given many common names, a couple being 'Snows of Kilimanjaro' and 'Pasquita', but here in Australia we are familiar with the name of 'Snow Flake'.  Closely related to the Poinsettia flower, this bush is a low maintenance shrub growing 1.5 to 2 metres in height and 2 to 3 metres in width in full sun to semi-shade and will suit an average garden, however, it doesn't tolerate frost.  Its best climate is in areas north of Sydney and Perth and mostly dominates the coastal perimeter.

The pretty creamy/white, petal-like bracts are dense blooming and cover the entire plant in fragrant flowers which attract butterflies and flower only during Autumn and Winter (April to July) when the days are shorter and there is the least amount of daily sun.  After flowering, the bush loses its leaves for a short while before again greening up from Spring onwards for the remainder of the year.  The stems contain a milky sap which could irritate some sensitive skins therefore it's advisable to wear protective gloves when pruning or taking cuttings.

All of these above photos were taken in my local street and considering we live in a tropical climate of extreme heat, cyclones and severe electrical storms and don't really experience bitterly cold winters, I find it wonderful to dream of being surrounded by 'snow flakes' even if it is a bush and only for such a short time.

Ros

"Failing to try is far worse than trying and failing" - Bryce Courtenay