I am meant to be resting for a while so, I thought some small sewing projects might help to keep me sane. I'm just getting ready to cut into this fabric for my next project which I hope to share soon:
Hope you have a good weekend whatever you plan to do.
xx
I've been meaning to blog about this quilt that I bought when I was in South Africa in December last year at a local farmer's market.
I was instantly drawn to the lovely red African patterned fabric and the squares that were embroidered (and signed) by different ladies.
The quilt was made at the Tsitsikamma Eersterivier Embroidery Project in the Cape Province of South Africa. The aim of this project is to improve the standard of living and the upliftment of the local community. The project provides opportunities for people to use their skills and better their lives.
Tsitsikamma means abundance of water. The aim of this project is to let the local population (mainly farm workers, part time domestic workers and many unemployed people) experience some of this abundance in their personal and family lives.
I love the childlike simplicity of these embroidered images.
I've been wanting to make a quilt myself and I will probably start with something small, but for now, I need to collect more fabric to give it a nice mixed pattern feel.
xx
I bought these Converse trainers/sneakers/tekkies about two years ago with the intention to paint on them but, never got round to them and eventually forgot about it. That was until I got the book Small Stash Sewing by Melissa Averinos from the yummygoods blog. In the book, Melissa showed a pattern to make shoelaces from fabric and I just had to give it a go. I wrote a bit more about Melissa and her book here when I recently met her in London.
I did not plan the painting as I just wanted to paint freely and see what happens. I am pretty happy with the result even if it is a very colourful and hippie-like. If you know me by now, in my world, colour is good.
Once I've finished the hand painting on the one shoe, I had to replicate it on the other. Once the shoes were done, I made the shoelaces according to Melissa's instructions which were very clear and it turned out to be a quick and easily little project.
xx
It is my birthday today. I have had a lovely day with various cards and texts from family and an early phone call from my parents. Hubby took me out for lunch and to see a film. We saw Letters to Juliet which was right up my alley.
We came home to find two beautiful bouquets. One from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law:
And, the biggest bouquet of roses from my parents-in-law:
While I'm showing you some flowers, I also wanted to show you these:
I picked them up for less than a fiver when we got back from Hawaii and since then, the orchid has been blooming his little heart out with no effort on my part.
Hope you've had a good day too.
xx
It has been a while since my last blog post and it was not intentionally but, when you spend most of your day falling asleep or interrupting yourself to go and pee for the umpteenth time, then you don't get round to everything on your 'to-do' list. So, apart from the tiredness exhaustion, everything seems to be going well with me and baby-to-be :) I have not yet been hormonal at all (but don't ask my husband, he'll just exaggerate anyway. I have been very calm, really.)
Anyway, I'm rambling. I have started a few projects, it's the finishing that is a different matter at the moment.
I've decided to learn to crochet so, I've bought a magazine which came with some wool and a crochet needle. I've also bought a book about crochet stitches. I've not had much time to practice yet. So far, I've mastered the most basic chain stitch. I know, I still have a long way to go. I just like the idea of being able to crochet some booties, blankets and maybe hats with big flowers on them (if it's a girl). So, if anything comes from this, I will let you know.
I've also ordered a few baby sewing books. I am full of ideas now I just need the energy to match. Watch this space.
Hope you're all doing well.
xx
I was going to tell you about my trip to London last week when I went to the Victoria and Albert museum and saw the quilts exhibition of quilts from the year 1500 onwards. I was also going to tell you about my visit to the Fashion and Textile museum afterwards to see the exhibition of the textile company Sanderson who is celebrating their 150th year in business. But, so much has happened since then that it all feels like a blur and as photography wasn't allowed, it doesn't help.
If you've read my blog for a while now, you may have read the post where I shared with you about my Hubby's journey through cancer and the impact that it has had on us. There was a bit that I didn't share though. When the consultant told us that Hubby had cancer, he also told us that he wouldn't be able to have children after the chemotherapy. Initially it felt like a double blow, but as we started to live from one day to the next, I remembered and started to hold onto the promises of God. Looking on the internet, I found out that in a small percentage of cases, it is still possible to conceive, but that medical advice was to wait 2 years after chemotherapy. Well, as you may recall, going to Hawaii was our celebration of him being 2 years cancer free. Well, it was also from then on that we decided that we're not going to stress about it but if it happened, it happened.
And, it did! I'm pregnant! And, I thank God for two miracles in my life. I am filled with gratefulness, joy and a peace that I cannot put into words. It is also wonderful to see my Hubby so happy. He is already so caring and supportive. My cup flows over.
As I ponder on the little miracle, I am reminded of the scripture: "For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful I know that full well." Psalm 139: 13-14
It is still very early and I know 'they' say you're not supposed to share your news too early but, I am too happy to be able to keep this quiet any longer. So, I hope you'll share this journey with us the next 9 months as I intent to craft and sew my way through this.
xx
We went to London on Saturday. Hubby started a six week course and I went to see some of shops that I've been wanting to visit for ages.
I went to Liberty of London first and was not disappointed. I walked into the scarf section on the ground floor and it was like an explosion of colour and interesting print and pattern.
I would've loved to buy a Liberty scarf but, prices seemed to start at £150 each.
There were four floors of goodness to explore, here are some of the other bits that stood out to me:
Next up was Anthropologie.
Some of the shop displays also caught my eye:
The above photo is not very clear but, the shop window was filled with vintage singer sewing machines. A subtle hint to the handmade movement? I remember sewing on one of these in primary school. The school had several of these and only one 'modern' Bernina where we had to take it in turns. I remember staying behind after school in the art and sewing class, making my own clothes with the help of an amazing art teacher. She was such an inspiration to me. On Saturday, me and my mum would go fabric shopping, carrying bags and bags of fabric back in the house like two naughty children. We would sew away every spare minute and usually on a Saturday, the sewing machines interfered with the TV reception when my Dad wanted to watch rugby. We would have to wait for TV adverts to quickly sew a piece and then wait for the next advert break. Beautiful memories that I treasure.
I enjoyed all the design inspiration but, the ABSOLUTE highlight of my day in London was that I got to meet the lovely Melissa Averinos from the yummygoods blog. I got excited when I heard she was coming to London and sent her an email to enquire if she was going to do any book signings for her new book. Melissa did not have any planned but, offered to meet me anyway! I was beyond excited and quickly ordered her book so that I could also have it signed.
Melissa was so sweet. We chatted about London, her super cute book Small Stash Sewing and fabric design. I have followed Melissa's blog for at least 3 years. She is such an open, honest person that I felt like I was meeting a friend although, I was a stranger to her, she didn't make me feel that way. I felt so inspired (and a little star struck) after meeting her :)
I can highly recommend Melissa's book. The projects are so creative and there is something for every taste. I am keen to make the shoelaces next as I've been wanting to customize my Converse trainers. There are great projects for the home, gift ideas and sewing projects for children, for example a cape for a budding little superhero.
I was so glad that I took a small gift for Melissa because totally unexpected, she gave me some of her fabric (Sugar Snap), post cards and a sweet unicorn notebook.
This was definitely my kind of day :)
xx
We had plenty of time to peruse the shops in San Francisco. I loved catching the cable car to go to Union Square and all the shops.
We had some lunch at the Cheesecake factory at the top of Macy's and on a different occasion, we also shared one of their cheesecakes which was amazing. I have never seen so many varieties of cheesecake before.
My favourite shop however, was Britex, a three or four story fabric store! Hubby took some photos and I was so distracted, I did not even notice.
However, my favourite find was in a thrift store near Ghiradelli's. Two vintage pieces by textile designer Vera Neumann.
And, my favourite:
Well, that's it (in a nutshell). Thank you so much for giving me the space to share our dream holiday with you and for sharing in our happiness.
We both feel so optimistic about the future, which is something that we have not been able to feel in such a long time and we therefore can't take it for granted. We felt as though this vacation symbolized a new beginning for us, we have put all the cancer worries behind us and we are so grateful for each and every day.
xx
I convinced Hubby to go to the de Young museum with me where they had an exhibition of Amish quilts. I was ecstatic to find that they also had a flower show on the day that we went :)
You were greeted with this arrangement in the entrance:
Taking a closer look, I loved it:
Ribbons in various shades of pinks and purple with orchids attached to some of the ends. Looking up, it was wonderful to see the light streaming through.
A few of the other bouquets to see:
It was wonderful to see the Amish Quilts but unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos.
You can get a great view of the city from the top floor of the museum.
We had a brief moment in the Botanical Gardens.
We did not have enough time to explore all the gardens in the Golden Gate Park, I would've loved to walk around the Japanese tea gardens but, we only had time for a quick peek through the gates.
Afterwards we walked for what felt like miles through the city until we found a bus that took us half way back to our hotel. Funny how things always look like walking distance on a map :) Oh well, I did enjoy the opportunity to see more of the city on foot and to enjoy the architecture.
xx
As we suddenly had loads of time to pass (thanks to the volcanic ash), we decided to take a day trip to the Californian wine country.
I'm not particularly big on drinking but, I love vineyards and can appreciate a nice glass of wine on special occasions although, if it wasn't there, I wouldn't miss it.
The first winery that we visited was also my favourite. It was owned by the Jacuzzi family (the same family who designed jacuzzi hot tubs). The winery was a replica of the family home in Italy, their presentation was interesting and engaging.
I really did feel like I was back in Italy.
We also visited the Cline winery across the road from Jacuzzi winery.
We made our way to Sonoma for lunch.
After lunch, we headed off to the last winery of the day. It was such a lovely scenic drive.
The Madonna winery was our last stop of the day.
It was a very relaxing day and as much as I love San Francisco, it was quite nice to have a day away from the city.
xx
