Sew Grateful for...

Since last Sew Grateful Week, I have so much more to be grateful for. SO much more than last time, sewing is a huge part of my life. My work revolves around it, and my work is a huge part of my life.
I am so grateful to my Mum, Jenny. So many of you who have put a bid in for a gorgeous pin cushion ring made by her have raved about how beautiful her work is. You are SO right! She is so clever, always has been, and embroidery is just one of many creative pursuits she has mastered.
And the best bit? Unlike some people who are very talented, she is open, encouraging and inspiring. Instead of being intimidated by her amazingness, I am always inspired by her to try things. Our styles are very different but that is a good thing really!
My Mum Jenny always allowed me to try things, even if it meant ruining some fabric or driving her nuts. I am a "don't show me, let me do it myself" kind of learner so often this meant her telling me what I SHOULD have done after I'd done it wrong. I find students like that frustrating myself, as I want them to have success and not get despondent, so I am very impressed that she didn't "lose it" more often.
So, I am grateful for my Mum. I tell her she has a bit of an online fan club and she really doesn't get it! Not much of a one for computers hehehe.
Remember, tomorrow is another giveaway. See you then!

Christmas Day

Well, it finally came, and happened. It was 30 degrees Celcius (86 Farhenheit) today, blazing sun and generally about as unsuited to a big meal as you can imagine!

This was our table back in 2009, but the lovely cloth is in service on our Christmas table in the shop, and we wanted to get the children involved. So, this year:

My nieces making crackers in hot pink, lime and orange, and cutting snowflakes out of wrapping paper. They are all getting so grown up, I can't call them children any more (Jess who is 18 next year took exception to me saying it, but they are growing up so fast!)

Some of the output of their labours

The table coming together. White paper table cloth - what a wonderful product it is! It also covered the buffet, and we have plenty left over. The Embroidenator made the cute glittery Christmas trees.

Dinner begins. I popped out of the kitchen to take this photo - only about half way through dishing up such a big group at this stage. My littlest nephew Peter has a keen eye for a camera!

And after all the food is eaten, the crackers pulled and the eaters dispersed, all that is left is carnage. The Embroidenator contemplating it all, and probably feeling the heat!

Jess made a gingerbread house. It is so beautiful, noone could bear to eat it!
The bunting was a great hit too. And I got a couple of very special presents I will share in another post.

Merry Christmas to you all, with much love from me.

Next gift - return of the Embroidenator

Hmm.
imagine a conversation with one's mother about Christmas. Where one and one's mother agree not to exchange presents. Imagine saving the air consumed to cool one's porridge.

Apparently this EXQUISITE glasses case doesn't 'count' as a Christmas present, in spite of being GORGEOUS, and given to me on Christmas Day wrapped in Christmas paper.
Just as well I took no notice of the agreement too ;-)

Before the Embroidenator discovered embroidery and quilting...

...she was potty about pottery.

I love this dish, with its strawberry border. Perfect for serving the real thing! And to think she thought this wasn't very good. Le sigh.

What the Embroidenator has been up to

Remember my clever mother and the beautiful needle case she made me? It came about because she made herself one and I lusted after it in a most obvious way.
The other night at our sewing group I took a couple of shots of it.

Isn't it gorgeous!! Birds are her other favourite thing after flowers, and I think these are fairy-wrens because of their cute little tails, and that I know she adores them.

Earlier sewing projects

To keep the attention of the wonderful sewing geekettes out there (I use the term endearingly and identify with it) I thought I would show a few pics of other things I've made. This is me in my 'thobe', which is a loose fitting kaftan-like garment worn in the arab gulf. It is made from a sari, but the front panel showing up all swirly is a piece of embroidered silk organza. It is bugle beaded around the neckline, which is also trimmed with a heavily beaded trim. It was so heavy I had to notch it to make it curve then glue it!

This my Mum the Embroidenator in her wedding suit - the jacket is a quilted silk organza and the skirt is silk chiffon. I only had one chance to fit it during construction as we lived in different cities at the time, but it just goes to show that knowing someone makes sewing for them easier.

This is a close up of one of my favourite wedding dresses I ever made. Sam wanted something essentially beachy, but in burgundy, so all the usual 'paua' colours were out. I discovered though that when you look at real paua, it is often burgundy and grey/green and pink, so we picked up on that palette. The embroidery and applique represents the eddying of water, but as Sam is also a wordsmith, the comma and apostrophe shapes in the pattern have that little extra significance :) As well as silk and cording work, the bodice is beaded with a range of glass beads, and hung with paua drops. The dress had a full skirt with random hitches up the back.
Little sis' on her wedding day. She got married way before me, and our dresses are 'sisters' also, as different and similar as we are(see mine in this post). I still love this dress. It is hand painted on front panel and train, with soft sculptured flowers, leaves, berries and buds around the shoulders.
I have heaps more but I am going to be mean and eke them out over several posts. :)

My very clever Mother

I am so lucky and blessed to have a mother who is so artistic it almost wafts off her when she walks. She scoffs at such statements, but she never ceases to amaze me at the beautiful things she makes.
This Christmas I have been so lucky to receive home made gifts. These shall be heirlooms. I'm going to show two of the gifts in this post. The first is an embroidered brooch.

It is a lovely round, silk button about 2.5 inches across. The silk is orange shot with purple and Mum has picked those colours out of it. This is going to look fabulous with a hand dyed scarf that her late best friend dyed for a wedding present to me. A fitting tribute to another amazing artist.

My other gift is a hand embroidered needle holder, shown here front and back.

Not only is it exquisite in its detail, it is full of family jokes and personal touches. The rose climbing up the right is Leonidas, which is my favourite rose and was in my wedding bouquet. I LOVE irises, famous for it. The bees are a family joke, as are the pansies (don't ask, noone would ever think the jokes funny but us!). I also love that spring and summer flowers are all in together in a way that could never happen in reality.
And to think that after making this, she decided that she should learn a bit more about embroidery techniques!I am so lucky to have such a loving, clever and patient mother, who has always been willing to show her stubborn daughter how to do things too. Thanks Mum xoxo