WW1 Sawdust Hearts Project-The Idea and Art Work

It's finally finished. This is the secret piece that has kept me busy for the whole of July. A piece I feel very emotional about, and one that truly captured my heart. 

This is my contribution to the Untangled Threads Sawdust Hearts Project. My piece will form part of the Sawdust and Calico Heart Exhibition at Woodend Scarborough from the 3rd to the 30th of November 2018. This is a commemorative exhibition and public event to be held on the centenary of Armistice Day 2018. My heart is one of 1568 handcrafted hearts commemorating 100 years since the armistice. It represents day 218 of the 1568 days of the war; the date the 2nd of March 1915. On this day the British Battleship HMS Canopus joined in the assault missions on the Dardanelles.

The History of the Sawdust Heart

"During WW1 thousands of commercially produced kits were made and distributed to soldiers and civilians.  The hearts were pre-stuffed (with sawdust) ready to be decorated.  The kit contained a template-cut cardboard box, which was ideal for holding collected fabrics, beads, pins and sequins.

The therapeutic effect a wounded soldier gained by making and sending one of these sawdust hearts was immense, and indeed the practice of Occupational Therapy in the UK can be traced back to this time in history.

5% of the proceeds from the sales related to this project will be donated to Combatstress, a charity which supports former servicemen and women to deal with issues like trauma, anxiety, depression and PTSD."
                (source: Untangled Threads Sawdust Hearts project 2018 leaflet by Helen Birmingham)

  
Some information about my piece:

Title: Hope Soars on the Wings of a Lark.

Medium: Acrylic Paint on Canvas with black embroidery silk. The piece is adorned with beads and pins.

Inspiration:The vivid red colour used in my piece forms the memory of how I imagined the poet's world looked on hearing the words to Wilfred Owen's poem Dulce et Decorum Est, at the age of 14. A piece I studied in English and one that I can still recite to this day.

The bird depicted in my piece comes from the poem by the English poet George Meredith, and the piece composed by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams; The Lark Ascending, this piece is often interpreted as a piece about the war.
 

 

This piece is dedicated to my Great Grandfather William Rae (1888-1951). He served as a fireman for the Merchant Navy aboard the SS Lady Salisbury.

P.S. the embroidery and beadwork can be found on my sewing blog Made by Sun Rae .

Baby it's cold outside part 2

Oh my goodness, I have been busy. More stock added to my Folksy store and Etsy store.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

SOLD

SOLD

Brrr! Where did the cold snap come from all of a sudden?  It's been threatening for weeks, but this is the first time I have woken up with the ground all covered in frost. Not that I'm complaining. I would much rather have frost than the torrential rain we've been having since the summer, anything is better than that.

So to celebrate the cold snap in weather, I have promptly posted new items in my Folksy shop, in the form of children's hats.  These range from 6-12 moths months (no moths in these goodies) up to 8 years. At the moment I only have girls hats, but I'm hoping to have boys hats and adult hats up in the next week or so.  These hats are made in a cotton/acrylic mix and are super cosy. Do you know, if I could wear all of them I would, but I would seriously have to adjust my head size by a lot.  You can't beat a handmade hat, so much more cosy that shop bought I think. If you fancy looking at any of my other goodies, please click on Folksy link in this post or on the sidebar.

I'm so looking forward to participating in Sheila's Stitching Santa (Secret Santa) sign-up.  I loved this gift idea last year, and I'm so looking forward to finding out who I'm sending to this year. Not long until Christmas now, but I won't scare you by writing down the days.

Hygge Trends for 2017

Being resourceful or too lazy to use a cable needle

Last weekend I got a copy of  The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well, which explains the Danish concept of 'hygge'. Denmark is often said to be the happiest country in the world and they say that's down to one thing: 'hygge'. You see since going back to work I've been thinking 'Oh, I blinked, and Christmas was gone. Where did the day go? It just wasn't looooooong enough'.

It took me four days to properly unwind from work and for my brain to realise I was on holiday and during this time sleep eluded me. By Christmas Eve I was like a walking zombie...sigh! I just wish I could go back and celebrate it all over again (without the insomnia) but I can't. Therefore 2017 is going to be entirely different; stress about my mum's health and my own, fretting about work and endless worrying about Paul's unemployment are being given the heave-ho for hygge (pronounced hue-gah).

So what is 'hygge?' The Danes describe it as a word that is a feeling or mood that comes from taking genuine pleasure in making ordinary, every day moments more meaningful, beautiful or unique. How do the Danes create hygge and what makes them happy? The author Wiking mentions many factors, such as cosy homes, togetherness, board games, inviting friends over to enjoy food and drink. Candles are imperative - 85% Danes connect candles and the correct lighting with hygge.  For days and days, I've been poring over this book and talking the ears off Paul about how I would like 2017 to go. Now, this isn't me making New Year Resolutions, this is my attempt at surrounding myself with safeness, comfort and taking care of my mental health; to put it bluntly giving my mind and body a break.   So, what will mine look like?

• Sofa slumping when I get home from work. Change: 20 minutes of yoga.
• I watch way too much T.V. Change: Listen to more music, read a book or complete a jigsaw.✔
• I always take showers for quickness. Change: Take more relaxing baths with candlelight.
• Minimalist beauty routine. Change: Pamper sessions a couple of times a week, even if it's just a face mask or manicure.
• Always in a hurry and go for the quick snack option which is usually loaded with nasties. Change: To eat more fruit and vegetables, drink more water every day. ✔
• I hibernate in the winter months. Change: Take more exercise outside; walks with the dog.  
• I focus too much on the negative things around me. Change: Start keeping an active thought jar. 
• To make time for more crafting. ✔
• To join more swaps online (current one: Mad About Bags) ✔
  

These are just a few of the changes I want to make at the moment.  I'm not going to stress out if I don't achieve them all each week, even one or two would be enough. The tick marks mean I've completed four this week...yeah! 

Recently I managed to resurrect some old WIP's (work in progress). The ancient WIP is a pair of mittens called Birchwood by Eskimimi. I bought this pattern way back in 2003 no 2013, and I made the first mitt then put the project away. I don't know why because at the time of making the left mitt I was enjoying the pattern and the wool; Debbie Bliss Rialto DK in Basil colour wave. So it's partner was completed last weekend. 

Another finish was my Opal Advent Calendar V-Stitch Blanket* I set myself the target of New Years Day for completing it, but I didn't meet that deadline. I think it was completed four days after this, which is cool. It felt special making it, and I didn't want to rush it or make a mistake, the border gave me the biggest headache because I knew it had to be just right.  I even used maths to ensure the border finished evenly,  and it worked!  The last blanket photo shows my thumb near the starting stitch and my index finger with the last stitch. It was just meant to be, it was fate!  Yes, out of all the crochet projects I've taken on board, this one is my favourite. It was just the best, best, best project ever. I don't know if it was the yarn colour changes or the excitement of making something beautiful just for me, I just don't know.  But do you know what? I think it could be described as a hyggeligt moment (cosy moment) for me to enjoy and enjoy I will!

xoxo xoxo

 

* Yarn used Opal (advent calendar yarn) and Adriafil Dolcezza Merino Baby.

Yeeehaaaa! It's Halloween.

Today is Saturday, and I haven't moved from the couch all day. I've been knitting, playing fetch with my dog, opening squishy yarn parcels and watching Halloween films. Why? Because this week has been so hectic; I've been busy crafting since Wednesday in readiness for the nursery Halloween party.  Now, I thought about my costume a while back, and I knew for sure that I wasn't going to purchase it (past couple of years I have) as it was going to cost me a fortune, well £60 to be precise, and I thought 'Pfff! I could make it for less than that.' So I did. However, instead of starting the costume making a month ago, I did buy my hat and boots at that time, I left it to the last minute.  There I was on Wednesday night frantically cutting up cow print fabric for chaps and writing a shopping list for a man's shirt, fabric and other pieces for my O/H to purchase the following day. He meanwhile was stuck up the loft hunting through old trainer boxes looking for shoe laces for said chaps.  So you can imagine how frazzled I felt going to work on Thursday and how deflated I felt when I knew had to come home and do all the crafting again for the costumes shirt. Oh! And Paul thinking it was funny to say he had not got any of the stuff on my list. Normally I would've laughed at his little joke but being so tired I just wanted to poke him in the eye, but fortunately for him, he was driving at the time. Anyway, back to the shirt making.  As soon as I got in from work, I dumped my stuff and ran upstairs, I ripped open the bag and tried the shirt on, smart move me thinks.  Can you imagine making the whole thing and then realising the shirt is too small or too big. Then I spent half an hour staring at the yellow fabric and staring at the shirt thinking 'I'm so tired I can't do this!' Then another half an hour twisting and turning the shirt until my brain kicked in and a light bulb moment pinged in my head. I would trace the top half of the shirts collar, shoulder and arm shape and cut the fabric from the template. Only, problem I didn't have any tracing paper, so I ended up laying the fabric on the shirt and feeling my way around the seams and pinning as I went.  I even remembered (through my tiredness) to give myself a seam allowance for cutting the fabric out. Clever Squirrel! The rest of the evening was spent trying to keep my eyes open,  filling up spools of thread, cursing at my sewing machine, pricking my fingers with pins, crying at the ricrac ribbon moving around when I tried to make it into loops and lie flat and then frantically sewing on giant clown buttons.  I finally finished at 11pm; I was so tired I didn't even celebrate. All I could think as I stood in the bathroom brushing my teeth was, now I know how it feels to be a contender on The Great British Sewing Bee. Lol! After that, I collapsed into bed and conked out.

So, after all, my hard work the day of the nursery party came; I got up, showered and put on my costume.  I rushed out to the car as I didn't want my neighbours to see me.  I even managed to walk through the whole school and into the nursery without a soul seeing me. People gushed over my sewing skills, and the kids loved the outfit; I was known as Jessie from Toy Story for the whole day. And on leaving work everyone complimented me on my costume choice so I think it was a thoroughly worthwhile make all round.

                                                                            xoxo xoxo

p.s. Highlight of my day: Pixar liking my Jessie costume on Instagram.

Shop Update and Competition

Another month and another post but this time one with a difference. As promised in my previous blog post I have been busy and have stocked up my Folksy store with some cracking bags; some old fabric designs and some new fabric designs. I'm not going to tell you how long it took me to photograph them (lying on my stomach in the garden) or how exasperated my other half got as I confessed that 'I like this one and this one and oh I like this one.'  Since the photos have been made public I've had a lot of interest on social media; The Brother Sewing machine company wanted to feature them on their Instagram site and friends have been oohing and ahhing over them on Facebook.  At the moment my Folksy site is stocking the pyramid bags and stitch markers, there are still more different designs to come and other products too (not just fabric makes).

So on with the competition.  To be in with a chance of winning one of these beautiful bags, there are more designs on my Folksy website just click the link or the colour banner above this text. Just leave a comment on my blog of what bag you would like, why you like the design (not a requirement) along with either your Ravelry ID or your email, in the format of  see example "username at ymail dotcom."  The competition is not just open to British visitors but overseas as well. The closing date for this competition will be midnight GMT on the 3rd of September 2016 and the winner will be announced on the 4th of September 2016.

 Goodluck and happy choosing.

xoxoxoxo

Made By Sun Rae Products

Made by Sun Rae: Item prices range from £6 to £20. All items wrapped in tissue at no extra cost. Items can be found here: sun rae yarn and Made by Sun Rae

Shirley x

Christmas Gift Preview LAUNCH MOVED!

Website Launch Moved to 29/11/2010, 8 pm Launch! 

This is due to a few issues with the new website. I have contacted the host company, and they are looking into it and will be working over the weekend to iron the issues out. They have promised the website will be ready for Monday morning. I am so sorry for the inconvenience, very stressful but I would rather everything was perfect-ish with no glitches. Once it's working it will be amazing.

I designed these cases with only the finest fabrics and threads.
Each Case has 7-9 pockets and plenty of room, they also fold over the needles, so they won't slip out. Each roll fastens up, and ties with a ribbon, Ribbon colour may vary.

Each one is unique, as I have created each one by hand with lots of love. They will grace your knitting bag, and you will receive many compliments as well as "Where did you find that case?" at your next knitting/crochet group.

  

The pyramid bags, are available in small, medium, large, the smallest will hold stitch markers, sewing needles and other haberdashery items

There is also box bags, most are available in the fabric used for the needle roll. They also come in small, medium, large. The largest will hold sock needles and 100g of yarn.

 

Sorry if the preview is a little bit late....the joys of a particular uploader we shall not name lol.

So,  here I am, finally at the starting line. I'm such a hoarder I would love to keep all of them but because I 'm such a perfectionist that's the statement that will assure you that these items are of genuine quality.  Thank you for looking, shop launch tomorrow at 4 pm.  I hope you find something you like and in keeping with my perfectionist traits all items will be beautifully gift wrapped in tissue paper.