Seasonal Greetings to you all

Fish and fairies

I would love to get my last arches finished and sent before the end of December and I thought things were going quite well. I finished my fairy for Alis and was checking the address which I had already written on the envelope and realised that Alis does not like lime green! The one I made has lots of lime green in it which doesn't show in this photo, but I will now make her another in the correct colours. Sorry Alis.


I decided to drop some threads on fabric and use the embellisher, but these things don't just happen to order. I just managed to get some sort of hair and body together.
Anyway I'm afraid she's a little bit pregnant as well and should have known better at her age. Next time I will use her younger sister.


And give her the right colours. Maybe something like this Alis?


The next arch has a good choice of things I could use, but I was thinking about it and sort of doodled this angel fish. I think it has possibilities. Another arch is going to have a Victorian theme and I have decided what to do. Once I decide it all comes together fairly easily. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Champion Procrastinator!

I just looked out of the window and had to take a photo, the rain is pouring down and it's quite stormy weather. This is the sort of evening I love when I'm comfy and warm inside There are of course many unfortunate people out there and I must try not to be so selfish. I was brought up in a Quarrying area when snow meant that the quarrymen would be be weeks out of work and at the time they lost a lot of money as they were paid by the amount of slate they managed to turn out. When I got very excited and looked forward to heavy snowfalls, I was always told off by my mother for being so selfish.

Champion Procrastinator! That's me usually I'm afraid, but I'm pleased to tell you that I am well ahead with my Christmas preparations this year and I can truly say I have never been this far ahead before. Maybe the little break I took has done me a world of good? My cake is ready to decorate, I have made two lots of mince pies and the few cards I send and the gifts are all ready packed, some of them have even been delivered.

I'm so pleased with the response to my Christmas card in my last post, thank you all for taking the time to comment at such a busy time of the year. Like minded people like yourselves appreciate it, but I'm not so sure the recipients will.

Christmas card

The last 5 or 6 years I only give Christmas cards to my close relatives. My list had gone up to nearly 200 cards and I suddenly thought, enough is enough. I now donate the money that would have gone on cards and postage to our local hospice and it feel really good. I make cards for the family and this year I chose to print out a little "sketch" of a mother and child. I dropped a few threads onto some fabric, used the Embellisher and I could see a shadow of the mother and child developing, I added a few mor threads and embellished further then added some hand stitching to complete what I could see in my mind's eye.


I took this photo of the first traces of the design.


The sun coloured the snow on the mountains pink this morning.


Here is a closeup.



The evening sun!

Goodies again

So many people took a fancy to my waistcoat I thought you would like to see the pattern. It's a Sirdar pattern - 8925 using Hug yarn. The reason mine looks a little different (blush) I knitted the largest size by mistake and I have only just realised this. I bought 8 balls of yarn and there was not enough left over to complete the roll collar. But I'm still very happy with it. It's casual and warm.



I thought I'd posted about this wonderful surprise I had in the post on November 8th, but I obviously hadn't! I'd taken the photo and resized it ready, but didn't blog it. They were made for me by my friend Sandy Marcoux of Dangling by a Thread. They are lovely Sandy,


I received this arch yesterday from Cathy Winter of Houston Texas and it is so beautiful and unusual. Thanks Cathy! Cathy's blog is called Winter Wanderings.

Fairies

Below is a lake with a floating island - Llyn y Dywarchen. This is a project undertaken by the SerenTex textile group.


It was made in response to the Regional Competition 2007, themed ‘Snowdonia’. We chose to do it as one of our projects and it was developed from a photograph divided into 12 equal parts. Members took one each and were free to use any technique they wished to interpret it. The only stipulation was an agreed size and to use a piece of hand dyed wool as a common link. Patchwork, machine embroidery, hand embroidery, gold work, canvas work, dry felting using an embellisher and silk-paper making have all been used. Amazingly it came together with strength and depth and has sparked much interest when it has been exhibited. Llyn Dywarchen holds special memories for two of the group at least. As both my father and Gwyneth's used to fish here. We are both related and our family originated from this area. Llyn Dywarchen “The lake of the Turf Island”, so called because of its famous floating island referred to by Giraldus (an early historian) in 1188AD. This area has a mystical feel to it as well as some of the most wonderful scenery and views in Snowdonia. This is the land of “the Tylwyth Teg” the little people; be careful not to loiter too late and be drawn to join their merry – making, as it is told the last person to do so found himself transported to a beautiful country from which it took him 7 years to return ! My father told another story of a young local farmer who stole one of the Tylwyth Teg and wanted her to be his wife. she refused, but became his maid instead. But if he found out her name, she would marry him. He heard the other 'fairies' talking about her one evening using her name. so she married with a warning not to touch her with iron. They were very happy and had a son and daughter and she was a very good wife and loved him very much. But he accidentally touched her with a horseshoe and she disappeared. There's another addition to this story which would be far too long to tell you about here. The island was specially made by the Tylwyth Teg and her mother so she could go and talk to her husband who was on the lake shore, never to have physical contact for the rest of their lives!
The work will be presented to the local hospice and maybe it will take these stories with it.


This is the arch I have just finished for Carol Rowland, we are involved in a 12 month swap in the Textile Challenges Yahoo Group. This arch was supposed to be finished in September!

Lucky me!

These are the Christmas Cards we brought each other to the SerenTex meeting today.



We had a lovely time chatting, eating cakes and chocolates and looking at slideshows of some of our photos.
We also had a wonderful treat when Mary shared her latest project with us. Mary has a big exhibition of her work at this time next year and I know it will be a great success. I took some photos, but I must not spoil the exhibition by showing any of the work now.


This is a gift Mary gave me. Isn't it lovely?


This is a waistcoat I have just finished. I wore it to the meeting and they all loved it and wanted to make one, so maybe it will become the SerenTex uniform!


I thought somone might like to see the tablecloth I mentioned in my last post!

A busy life

Now I wonder when things are going to calm down around here? I am busier than ever. You may have noticed that I have a website called Tipsy Gifts on the sidebar? This is my son's website and we are very busy just now packing 100's of packages of Sheridan's Coffee Flavoured Liquor for delivery to the States. Have you ever tried it? I don't drink alcohol normally as my friends at SerenTex will tell you, it just doesn't suit me. After a couple of sips I start to get very talkative and flushed, so I drink lemonade instead. But I do love a tiny glass of Sheridan's Coffee Liquor, it's delicious.

On Saturday A few of us from SerenTex were giving a Power Point Presentation at the Embroiderers'Guild Christmas lunch at Y Faenol Fawr. It seemed to go down well and we all had a lovely meal and a good laugh while we told everyone what a great time we have at our informal meetings where we all work, chat and have fun.


I arrived early so I could take photos of the peacocks. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get any of the beautiful white peacocks this time. Y Faenol Fawr

This morning I stitched the words 'Nadolig Llawen', which says Happy Christmas in Welsh on a white cutwork tablecloth for my DiL's sister. I'd made a few for family and friends last year and Bethan had seen one. It has taken me 12 months to get down to it! But it's ready at last.

I also made an Arch for Carol Rowland and it's very late. Sorry Carol. It will be on it's way to you soon. Now I need to do some research on the last 3 Arches I need to make before the end of January.

Tomorrow afternoon I have a SerenTex meeting and I still haven't had time to blog my last few visits.