Happy 'Straya' Day

Today - 26 January - is Australia Day or in Aussie language 'Straya' Day.  So I thought I would digress slightly from stitching and ponder and reflect on what it really means to be an Australian, however, when I really thought about it I found it became far too deep and meaningful ... so, I decided to lighten up and ponder and reflect on what it really meant to me to be an Australian.  Now, firstly let me preface by pointing out that when I was very young Australia Day wasn't considered patriotic anywhere near to the extent that it is today.  School and workers went about their daily lives on January 26 and the recognised public holiday was scheduled for the following Monday ... no big deal.  But then in 1983 Australia won the Americas Cup ... a real big deal ... and it seems that since that momentous occasion, pride in our nation, its people and achievements grew substantially.  We now honour Australians of the Year (from sporting to art/cultural to science fields), hold special ceremonies, perform re-enactments of the landing at Sydney Cove of Captain Arthur Phillip and get together with family and friends to 'throw a snag on the BBQ' and have a game of backyard cricket.

I find the diversity of our country so interesting - from the rainforests in northern Queensland to the dry centre of Alice Springs to the alpine regions of the Snowy Mountains to the hustle bustle of our cities and the scenic beauty of our natural landmarks so stunning, that it's no wonder tourists worldwide want to flock to the 'land down under'.  How flora and fauna survive and flourish in some of these harshest and driest of climates and areas has always fascinated me and is the source of inspiration behind my designs.  Yes .. we do have a laidback lifestyle but us Aussies are not immune to the pressures of modern everyday life and need relaxing outlets - this is just one of the reasons why I began my designing and stitching business.

Sometimes, though, I wonder how much of me really is Aussie. Don't get me wrong - I love a BBQ, vegemite and Tim Tams just as much as the next person but would much prefer to visit an art gallery, musical or concert over cricket games, football matches and cockroach races (yes, they really do exist!!) and you would never, ever see me wearing thongs or a flannelette shirt. 

Whilst I have snorkelled in the Whitsundays, travelled the cable car over the Blue Mountains, climbed Ayers Rock, ridden a camel in Alice Springs, cuddled a koala, seen the fairy penguins at Port Phillip Bay and jetboated in the Great Southern Ocean south of Hobart, there is one thing on my bucket list that I've yet to see and that is the spring wildflowers in bloom in their natural habitat outside of Perth, Western Australia which I am led to believe is an absolutely amazing glory of colour.  

A few things for sure that will never change are our Aussie sayings and slang, that we are a sporting nation and the fact that we pull together and help each other out in times of trouble and turmoil.  I have witnessed that firsthand during times of flood, cyclone and fire disasters and the mateship to friends and strangers alike warms the heart.  

This afternoon, my husband, son and I will be celebrating Australia Day by firing up the BBQ for a sausage sizzle (sausage and onions in bread with tomato sauce) and then watching a re-run of 'Charlie and Boots', a movie starring Paul Hogan and Shane Jacobson featuring scenes and landmarks from Melbourne to the tip of the Cape York Peninsula.  I will continue with my current stitching design which is part of building up stock for the opening of my Etsy shop - still a little way off, but slow and steady does it.   So until next time .... See ya mate!

Ros

'Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life' - Anon

Hot Stitching

First and foremost Happy New Year to all.

Whilst my stitching friends in northern America are experiencing snow and blizzards and those in the United Kingdom are contending with rain and floods, South East Queensland sweltered through its hottest day on record by reaching a maximum of 40 deg. Celsius.  It was seriously so hot, that everyone flocked to air conditioned shopping centres, movie theatres and the beach (although I struggle to understand how walking and lying on scorching hot sand can be cooling) and at one stage when I turned on the cold tap it ran so hot, I swear I could've made a cup of tea!

Health authorities always advise tips on keeping as cool as possible and expending as little as possible energy to avoid dehydration, so it seems only logical to me that stitching is the way to go - wouldn't you agree?  My workroom isn't air conditioned, so the window is open to allow a flow of breeze, the fan put on full blast and there is plenty of water, but my real dilemma is how to avoid my work (fabric and threads) becoming soiled through perspiration whilst stitching.   Whilst I regularly wash my hands and lower arms with clean soapy water, I have found lightly dusting my hands with talc powder a useful tip to absorb any moisture build-up, but this is only a short term solution.  

A search of the internet for any tips only led me to a site which gave solutions on how to deal with perspiration stains - www.needlework-tips-and-techniques.com/stain-removals.html - by the use of Bicarbonate of Soda worked into a paste with water and dabbed onto the affected area for a short time before being rinsed off.  The site is very informative and useful in dealing with the removal of a variety of other stains - but, of course, prevention is always better than cure, so I would be most interested to hear any handy tips or ideas from anyone.  

Ros

'We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insolvable problems' - Benjamin Franklin




  

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

A Royal Garden Visit

My son and I were enjoying morning tea on our back deck this morning when we were pleasantly surprised by the visit of this Sacred Kingfisher which landed on our clothesline.   He, too, was enjoying morning tea - a tasty small garden lizard or such - which didn't stand a chance when wedged tightly between its beak, but the by time I collected my camera (which is always kept close by the back door for instances such as this) it had been swallowed in one almighty gulp. 

The kingfisher did sense that he was on display and politely tilted his head this way and that as if posing for photo opportunities at a royal gala event, even twisting himself around so that his exquisite blue feathers and tail could be captured and admired at their best angle all the while spying us to ensure he was the centre of attention before flitting away.

In Australia there are 10 species of Kingfishers which are divided into three groups - Forest, River and the Kookaburra with the Sacred Kingfisher belonging to the Forest group and one of the smaller varieties and resting on the clothesline gives an idea of just how small this little fellow is.  The Kookaburra is the largest of the groups and we have plenty of visits from them as well, however, a visit from the Sacred Kingfisher is rare and quite exciting.  

Let's hope our royal visitor decides to stop by again soon.

Ros

'Smile - it is the ultimate beauty booster for inside and out'.

Design Release - Rainford's Butterflyfish

The release of my latest design coincides with the fact that Summer is upon us and with it the onset of long, hot, steamy days.  Here in Australia, of course, that means visits to our beautiful sandy beaches to soak up the sun and swim in our waters around the coastline and one of the most popular tourist destinations, both locally and internationally, is the famous Great Barrier Reef off the coast of northern Queensland.  It's in this natural environment of clear, coral-rich areas of lagoons and rocky reefs that you will find, amongst a myriad of other beautiful marine creatures, the brightly coloured Rainford's Butterflyfish living on a diet of algae and coral.

In actual fact, the Rainford's Butterflyfish 'home' extends as far south as northern New South Wales and north past Cape York Peninsula.  The size of this pretty little fish is quite small in comparison to some of its 'friends' at sea with it growing to an approximate length of 15cm (6 inches).

In order to be able to capture its overall beauty, a total of eleven colours have been used in the design highlighting the distinctive black strip over the eye, brightly coloured coral and water indicative of its natural environment.

I couldn't imagine anything more enjoyable and relaxing than stumbling across this happy little creature whilst snorkelling in the warm tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Ros

'Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.  It is because we are different that each of us is special'.

  

Gift Table Crafts

Twice a year the Queensland Embroiderers' Guild open their doors to the public to profile and display the varied works of its talented members and it is requested that we all contribute a couple of stitched items for the gift table to help raise funds.  There are no restrictions on what we make as long as it consists of some form of hand stitching and for some ladies it can be an issue deciding on just how much time and effort to put into an item that will be donated.  

However, for me the dilemma is always in deciding on what type of item to stitch as there are always so many small crafty ideas that I can think of whilst at the same time trying to keep ideas fresh and modern. Unfortunately, last year I foolishly forgot to photograph the slip book covers which had been embroidered with a variety of colourful basic stitches, but which I know sold rather quickly.  This year I decided to stitch my latest love for the delightful biscornu.

It was a wonderful way to perfect the technique and as you can see I stitched a couple of different sizes on coloured aida and linen fabric with ribbon attached to the two smaller ones for use as hanging ornaments.  Small beads (from my stash) were included as embellishments either during the stitch-up process or design stage and all were finished with a bead in the centre on the front and back.  With the exception of the far right biscornu in the purple and teal colours (a little creativity on my part) which was a design from a recent book purchase, the designs for the other biscornus were from a website - Wyrdbyrd's Nest- which listed quite a range of free patterns and well worth checking out.  

It was a joy and pleasure stitching these little treasures and I can only hope that whoever purchases them from the gift table will appreciate the love that has been put into them.

Ros

'Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you.  Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.'  -  Anonymous

Cushion Talk

From the outset, one of the main objectives when creating my designs has always been their practical application.  Projects on the Projects Page of my website offer ideas and with just a little imagination or tweaking, beautiful and personalised items can be stitched with that wow factor.

For some time now, I have wanted to stitch one of my designs on a cushion cover so over the last couple of weeks have experimented by using a slightly larger count of more durable open-weave linen.  One thing I would like to point out when stitching on a larger open weave fabric is that in order to obtain better coverage and depth of colour, it's probably best to use three strands of thread for the cross stitch and two strands for backstitch. With the addition of ribbon sewn diagonally across each corner the design is framed simply but elegantly. Basic finishing instructions are given on the Projects Page, but this cushion was backed with red poplin fabric and a zipper opening to enable the cushion insert to be removed and the cover to be gently hand washed should it become soiled.  Of course imagination dictates how this cushion cover could be otherwise embellished eg. buttons, beads or extra stitching around the border.

Projects like this make beautiful statements, are feature pieces and refined works of textile art and therefore, most advisedly, should be kept well out of the way of men or teenage boys who simply don't appreciate the fact that they should NOT be used for pillow fights or to put their grubby, smelly feet on!

Ros

'You can only find out by trying' - Greek Proverb