sun - day

The day started with some rain.

Then, the sun came out and I went into the garden

...

and found the shoes I had been wearing yesterday :

soaking wet on the stairs to the water 

GRRRRRRRR

(totally forgot about them after I took them off 

when I came home from the Rotterdam "Stitch")

Some tiny visitors in the garden clearly had enjoyed the rain

a mini toad

We should have gone to visit my brother,

but my sister-in-law was ill.

Instead daughter came by with her youngest

and brought me this wonderful present !

She spun the yarn herself

of lovely soft Icelandic wool.

Love alllll the greens !

And no better way for a child 

than spend a sunny day in the garden with some 

water !

:-)

After Jackie (Stitchworks) told me the mandala arrived safely

I now can show all of it

mandala

Drawing a mandala for Jackie (Stitchworks)

was a good start

for the birth-mandala

that I still had to make 

for the new born son of my nephew and his wife.

I used the same blue paper and the Nilgella from the garden

The beginning ...

... and the end.

I wrapped it carefully with some leftover plastic

(from a bath-goodies box)

and send it off

(We will bring the frame for it later, when we visit)

continuing challenge ... and

The fun "Challenge" 

Sara started several weeks ago

is nearing it's end.

All the instructions for the possible pages are done 

and so is the one for the cover.

That leaves only the binding of the pages.

You might recall, my theme for the challenge booklet is

"lines" 

This is the last page I made,

though in fact it will be the first or the second one of the booklet.

On the fabric that I've sewn to the back

is written :

"a line
is a dot

that went for a walk"

(that would have been said by Paul Klee)

In one of the instructions Sara suggested to integrate some thin wire.

I had this shiny green wire in my stash

and made the leaves with nail polish.

(another suggestion)

For the cover, I made three parts.

I worked a bit more on them

and I think they're okay now

Back, spine and front.

I made the spine probably too wide,

but I didn't know how thick the stack of pages would be 

.....

This Sunday we'll probably get the last instruction for binding the pages,

though some have allready finished ther booklet.

Anyway, it was a fun thing to participade !

!
Almost forgot : I won a give away !!!

At Jackie's blog Stitchworks

I LOVE the work she makes and she greatly inspires me !
(well, I say "I never ever win"  and I didn't expect to this time either ...)

Today arrived a lovely pouch,
hand painted and stitched !

with a super fun "button"

I was so delighted I made her a "thank-you-mandala"

which went in the mail right away

(ha, only a sneak peek for you)

solstice

The highlight of summer ?

It is, in our dance around the sun

but not when you think of the weather at the moment ...

Nevertheless

my Summer Solstice piece is finished.

(just in time yesterday evening,

to participate in a solstice fire daughter and her best friend had

noooo, they didn't burn it, I think )

Summer Solstice 2014

Still think it was such a good idea to start 

with the woven fabric strips.

Though it wasn't easy to stitch

because the cotton scraps that Sus dyed herself,

was such tightly woven cotton, that it was hard to pull the needle 

with the thick cotton that I used most of the time, through.

(even needed pliers sometimes !)

I hope for a lot of "real" warm summer still to come,

and  "down under"  ...  slowly but surely, the days will get longer.

wordless Wednesday

tending to solstice

Although it's still a few days

Summer Solstice

isn't very far away.

I thought that was as good a reason as any other

to start another little stitched piece.

What better way to start than 

a bit of weaving.

Yes, I admit that Jude still has this influence on me ...

(and I think I'll never lose that :

don't want to either  ;-) !)

Then came , as always,

the invisible basting to the backing

And "here comes the sun"

Lots more to be done

;-)

a lovely day ( 14 - 6 - 14 )

A lovely quiet day.

Not rushing to the Stitch'n Bitch this time

but staying in the village 

where the organic (cheese) farm held open house,

a wonderful trip for our youngest grandson

Lots of cows of course, but this horse with his wonderful socks

came close enough to give a pat.

But he probably liked the slide best !

Or was it the giant tractor ???

In the end 

the sun came out and I had some wonderful time in the garden

(well a slug this size is rather harmless, but ..... )