bits and pieces .....

At the very end of the year

there are always

those little bits and pieces 

that need to be said, shown, or finished ...

Here are some of mine.

Only tiny bits of this little felted heart

were shown, because it was a present to daughter's best friend

who had her 50th birthday yesterday.

Lots of family and friends were asked

to make a little heart,

and a whole bunch came and were placed

on a "wild" piece of wood,

making it into a wonderful birthday present !

*

Winter isn't really winter (yet ?)

but it is great fun to help granddad to prepare

the bird feeder in case the cold suddenly arrives !

*

Making selfies is a silly business !

*

Two friends came for a felting workshop

just before christmas

A late start, too much talking and planning

made that they need to finish it all later

(uhhhm ... next year ...)

*

This :

was the perhaps most special (almost) full moon I saw this year

on the 24th of December,

(except the eclipse moon of course) 

There was this awesome ring around it !

*

But there was also a  B I G  piece that we did :

today we used this second last day of the year 2015

for some serious window painting business !!!

This picture from the net was the start

Enlarged using a grid,

to almost 2 x 1 meter.

The start of the other choice of this class : a "minion"

Me starting with number two : "Rio"

But we weren't the only "idiots" working during the school holidays ...

(they are painting again the little house that was built in my classroom

some 19 years ago to make room for more possibilities to play

in the rather small classroom)

Minion in progress ...

Daughter and me started with "Blue"

and granddaughter ...

steps into the family's footsteps

;-)

Almost done !!!

HA !

I think this is a nice present for the teacher 

when she starts school again on Monday

!!! 

And to ALL my dear friends out there in the world

who visit here in blogland :

I wish you a

peaceful

happy

healthy

creative

and colourful

2016

*

See you next year !

Solstice

Today, the shortest day

(at least here ... "down under" my friends have the longest day)

so time to post my Solstice piece.

Winter Solstice

I finished it yesterday evening,

right on time !

I was so happy to receive that indigo dyed thread

(that I sent as white thread to Birgit)

it was the best colour, together with a bit of yellow

to make the stitched "rays" between the "points".

This piece has a tail :

the Kaffe Fasset strip at the bottom

was longer than the (20 cm) side

and I left it on because I didn't know how to proceed, yet

...

Then I found another (blue) strip

that was just as long as the extending end

so I just stitched the two together !

A coincidence (?) that we found something else 

with a tail, this morning ???

You may know that we have two cats in the house.

(they're daughter's, but live at our house for the time being)

About a week ago I suddenly discovered

mouse droppings

in the kitchen and the living room !

The cats are staying in that area at night

(otherwise they sneak up to the bedroom

and we won't be sleeping very quietly ...)

But apparently, our cats are
too well-fed,

too lazy,

or just a bit too old (15)

.....

These last few days we took away the cat food at night,

cleaned the counter top very carefully,

and closed all the cupboards 

where there might be something to eat 

.....

Finally

this morning : there he (she) was

another tail

!

(hmmmmm ... too well-fed for sure !

*

 On this shortest day

we went to Amsterdam

to say a last farewell

to the old mother (97) of a good friend.

They gave her the most wonderful goodbye :

there are some wonderful musicians in that family

and during the ceremony they played several times,

what a special way to remember someone dear !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehc4IIKQ4bg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-imw0fq5C4

a little further

Step by step

or rather stitch by stitch

the Solstice cloth is "growing"

Just looking

A "Megamendung" ray (yes a piece from Jude) 

with more swirls on the face.

And then, when I came home from a trip to Rotterdam,

there was a package from Germany !

Birgit had already announced it would soon arrive !

In it were yummy goodies for Christmas

and some of the snippets I sent her

that she would dye for me in her indigo vat !

(must make another picture tomorrow with better light !)

A lot of vintage lace, cloth and doilies

even some indigo moons !

To use for stitching and felting

;-)

wordless Wednesday

new stitching start

I did as I said yesterday :

begin a new little cloth to stitch

I like to work small

when I have no special idea what to do

20 x 20 cm 

(almost 8 x 8 ")

(then I can mount it on a small size canvas when finished)

Scraps on a piece of mull

dark like the winter time

(though the temperature is rather high here,

no real winter yet)

Of course basted down with invisible stitches

(glued)

like we all learned from Jude !

The starry bit on the left

with half a circle cut out destined it to become

the edge of the midwinter sun :

so a solstice piece it will be

12 - 12 - 15 ... just small things

Nothing much is going on.

We're in between festivities and

December is just going its quiet way.

Small things I'm making.

I'm thinking of stitching a little cloth

just for the fun of stitching again

Finished a small embroidery project just now

which I will show a bit later ...

and another one.

Last Wednesday we had the last mandala evening of the year

there isn't much to be seen 

of the unicorn  that it was about

(that's what happens sometimes after the meditation)

And this was the one of November that I didn't post either

about the sea goddess Benten and the dragon

When I went to Rotterdam today

my usual Stitch'nBitch visit, 

I fi-nal-ly finished my sock

and made the beginnign for number two

Love the colour of that "Lang" yarn 

So :
just small things

felt ... and more felt

I've been stitching om some

little scissors pouches.

Stitching on felt is special :

the beginning and end are neatly hidden inside the felt.

The way I make the pouches gives an extra think flap
where you can put your needles and pins in.

Sometimes I make the beginning of a design in the felt,
sometimes they are like a plain canvas.

Two new ones (front flap)

One inside, and one outside

Then, because I'm apparently unable to stop myself,

two more felted jewels

.....

Today I received my little felt

of our new felting exchange !

(I knew it was coming :

it was delayed due to some mishap)

My theme is "corsage" (though not necessarily of flowers,

more : something you can wear like a brooch)

This is what Karin came up with !

like a felted stupa !

It is maybe a bit big but I lóve the bright pink underside !

I might wear it on a turquoise belt that I have ...

a tiny hat ???

(or I can always use it as a pin cushion, Karin said  ;-) ...)

THANK YOU  KARIN !!!

(Ha, just noticed : the colours are the same as my felts)

"Katia's" shawl

The shawl I made in Katia's workshop

was nearly finished when I took it home.

I knew I wanted to do some stitching with the machine

(like Katia herself does)

and also some stitching by hand.

But when trying it on when it was totally dry

made me realize I didn't like the way it lay around my neck.

I like it because it's beautiful

but I also want it to be comfortable and warm !

I had my doubts about making it wet again

and trying to shrink it some more

in the right place

.....

I decided against that 

but made some very narrow pleats instead !

That just did the trick  ;-)

The pleats (that you can see at the back of the collar)

take enough of the extra space away

so now it fits much better.

I'm very happy with the way the silk

(habotai and chiffon)

that Fiona handdyed for me some time ago merges into the wool.

The habotai took a bit more effort 

(uhhhhm ..... a sander) 

but it looks very nice !

The "button" was in fact a mother of pearl disc

with only one big hole .....

so I put a little felted ball on top.

(for the inside of the machine stitching

I used the same rayon thread 

but only in a dark turquoise colour so you hardly notice it)

Very happy !

Thanks again Katia !