Hope and Christmas Wishes

I didn't really show you the label on our collaborative quilt but have been told that I should talk about what my daughter wrote on the quilt, and the hopes that went with them. The quilt recipient is one of my daughter's team mates from Waka Ama, which is a sport they both love, of Maori outrigger canoeing.

My daughter chose two whakatauki, traditional Maori proverbs, to use on the label which carried all her hopes for her friend.

He toka tu moana, ara he toa rongonui

Your strength is like a rock that stands in raging water - this affirms an individual's strength and courage.

 

He taru kahika

Walk on, as it is only summer rain falling - It is only a small adversity, so don't let it be a hindrance.

I think she picked particularly well, but I will admit that I am a rather biased mother, as we all tend to be.

My annual activity has been reaching fever pitch - I've been making my yearly Christmas decorations for friends. I know we all do it, but I do wonder why I don't start these earlier - one of the great imponderables. Even with the best intentions I'm sure I'll repeat the exercise again next year.

Four years ago I made black hands - it was not long after my dear friend Denys had died and I had no cheery words that year to embroider on decorations so I chose hands instead. One of my friends gave them the nick name "the hands of death" so this year I decided it was time to make some more with a more cheery disposition to keep them company.

I'm really keen on them - especially the one's with tatting and linen buttons on them. I will be making sure that I keep one of these back for myself. They are of course part of my continuing series of 101 things to do with an old doiley!

So the Christmas tree is up, most of the presents have been wrapped and work has finally ceased for the year. I'm starting to feel that the end of year wind down is almost upon us.

Best wishes to you all for a peaceful and happy time this holiday season, full of joy and hope.

Turning something old into something new

It's always a sign that if there are no posts on the blog that it's unlikely that there has been any stitching going on at my house. Work and home commitments have been absorbing much of my time - poor Frieda is languishing with only two borders actually stitched on. I hope to get back to her soon.

In the meantime I've been filling the odd free moment with some hand stitching on what will become a collar for myself. It's a collar with family history. My mother tatted this collar when she was about 10 years old. Hard to imagine any 10 year old these days being able to whip something like this up!

She made the collar to be part of her school uniform in anticipation for when she performed in the school orchestra. It was a requirement of her school, the Catholic school in Timaru - imagine that! Unfortunately she never made it into the orchestra so the collar has sat for over 70 years waiting to be pressed into service.

I'm mounting it onto felted wool and am toying with the idea of adding a few beads onto it to highlight the design. Time will, as always, tell.

When I showed it to my daughter she told me I was very on trend as the shops are full of lace collars - it was almost enough to make me stop but mine will be a collar with provenance, rather than something mass manufactured in China.

And while considering felted wool I thought you'd also like to see this felt cushion cover I bought some time ago. I thought it was irresistible. It dates from around the 1930s or 40s when embroideries and home textiles often featured dutch motifs. I particularly enjoy the cigarette dangling from his lips, something it would be difficult to imagine being included in contemporary work - how times have changed.