Post 391 Parcels and Projects.

Last Wednesday the World Embroidery Study Group met and I gave a presentation on the embroideries of Holocaust survivor Trudy Strobel, based on the book, Stitched and Sewn by Jody Savin. It's a story worth reading and contemplating in relation to healing - as well as horror.

At the meeting Junette returned some of our Inuit embroideries which she had borrowed for a workshop. Lee didn't want to keep hers, and gave it to me to 'do what you will with it'.

It's a lovely piece of embroidery. The walrus tusks are especially good. I took up the challenge and sorted some fabric to match it, and a zip.

It is now a pouch, with a pink felt back and cotton lining.

I hope Lee likes it and has a use for it, either personally, or in one of her numerous charitable endeavours.

Sometime in the last month I lost one of these tops - made in New Zealand from Possum Merino and silk. Possum merino is merino wool spun with possum fur. Possums are Australian natives and protected here, but were unfortunately introduced to New Zealand where they have become pests. Possum merino is unbelievably warm, and I loved this  top. I rang the places where I had worn it with no success. On Tuesday night, after much soul searching, I ordered another one. When I arrived at the Guild on Wednesday morning, there was my missing top, hanging on a coat hook near the shop! 

When I got home I rang New Zealand, but the new top was already with a courier on its way. I had hesitated, when I ordered, almost ordering a purple one, but decided I loved the red. It arrived today. I could return it, but I'm happy to say one of my daughters has claimed it. 

On Thursday at Pilates my coordination had improved - a result partly due to my using the vibrating machine in between classes. On Friday, while food shopping, I bought a couple of small pots of impatiens . They look lovely on my back balcony. The flowering succulent I bought a couple of months ago is now blooming beautifully on my front balcony.

For two days in a row I was lucky with deliveries - one arriving a few minutes before I left for Pilates and the other arriving just before I left for Sit'n Stitch.

There was, however, quite a contrast in the packaging of the two. On the left is half a metre of linen that came from North Adelaide - about 3km away. On the right is the handwoven wool- just over a metre- that came from the Ukraine. It took 40 days and was absolutely beautifully packed, wrapped tightly in brown paper, in a soft cardboard box that fitted perfectly. The stranded cotton label is there to show the size of the weave. 

The wool is for a project for my Viking embroidery workshop for the Certificate Course next February. I have also ordered some finer wool twill, to reflect clothing for both workers and elites.  The linen is for Catherine de Medici embroidery, and the company does not have a retail outlet. I get so frustrated by the packaging that I've decided not to buy from them again. I have already asked them to pack in an envelope that fits through a letterbox slot.

 

At Sit'nStitch Susan finished her Margaret Light piece, Jennifer starting a new crochet project and I worked on my latest shawl.

My dove friends have become sufficiently used to me to come down each time I hang out washing or otherwise set foot on the balcony, and stay and feed if I put out seed. The seed is very close to where I stand to hang out washing. I'm careful not to step too close, but they are fairly tolerant.

On Saturday I got a bit carried away with an example in a book I was reading, in a chapter called 'Elements of the Code'.  The book was given to me by a member of the Guild Library Team.

It fits with what I found out about Bulgarian embroidery, and is potentially another topic for the World Embroidery Study Group.

Of course, I had a go at embroidering it. I had some red evenweave fabric already prepared for a potential drawstring bag. and thought it would be appropriate given the association of red with the mother goddess.  I charted it, and used a Valdani Perle 8 thread variegated in purples through to pinks.

The first attempt was over one fabric thread per square.

The second attempt, over two fabric threads, was better.

I'm now thinking of exploring embroideries of the Mother Goddess in different cultures over time.

We had 8 at Katherine's on Sunday, with a couple of friends of Katherine's coming for dinner, making us two under our current home entertainment limit. It was a lovely evening, good company and good food. 

Sunday saw me back at the Guild for the completion of Melissa Walker's Madagascan Moon Moth.

My construction went pretty well, but I hit a few problems when I went to mount it in the box I had bought. 

The moth was slightly more 3D than the display space of the box allowed.  In the end I cut a space in the mounting board around the body of the moth.

Even then, the back board supplied with the box still squashed the moth body. I slept on it, then re-lashed the piece and covered the back with black silk. This enabled me to fit it in without a back board.

It fits fairly tightly, but I have devised a system of bracing with pieces of satay sticks, coloured black, across the corners. It is perhaps not the best solution for such a 3D piece, but it is fairly secure and avoids the worst of squashing to retain it as a potentially useful object. 

I found it very difficult to photograph the top of the finished box. In the end, even using a dark photographic box, I still got some reflection on the glass. This is the best of a bad lot. 

It is a really lovely design, and Melissa has more in the pipeline. Some members of the class are planning display boards of moths. I have enjoyed making it, and I love Melissa's classes. I don't think, however, I've solved the problem of a practical display use for such a fragile object.

Today I had a hairdressing appointment. My hairdresser of more than 5 years has resigned and today her replacement cut my hair. Not surprisingly, she is another remarkable young woman with a passion for improving women's lives. I feel very fortunate to be served by such young women.

I've managed to lose a further kilo this week. I've lost 6.4 kilos since I began, 52 days ago. I'm happy with that.

Since taking the girls to netball this evening I have finished the Berehinia bag and made cords and tassels.  It's about 25cmx15cm. 

This is the front and back views.

Time to get back to my knitting.