Last week at the Hunt Club

At the Hunt Club we are working steadily towards an exhibition about Glory Boxes, as apart of the Christian Coptic tradition.  The exhibition will be taking place in February - but as you know when you are hand sewing it always takes a long time to finish a piece.

Below are photos of works in progress for some final patches for our group linen table cloth.  This coming Thursday I hope we will be starting to stitch it all together.

 This design is of a mother and daughter, walking with a puppy and also a weeping willow - I wonder what the story is behind this imagery.  Angi Russi is another artist working on the project.  She is collecting the women's Glory Box stories and compiling transcripts.

 

Other items the women are interested in working on include towels, aprons and also tea towels.  Making my way through the Internet I have found some fantastic tea towel embroidery designs - it looks like we will draw our inspiration from these ones below. These patterns can be found here.

 

I like the idea of using the days of the week and glorifying the montany of running a household, which is what really we are making glory box items for - to make a home with the presence of the woman of the house's handicrafts.

How do I feel about this? I like tradition and sewing - so kind of excited, but also free because it is my choice to make, one time girls were not given many options.  I also feel some urgency to return to this way of making a home for sustainable reasons - making do and enjoying what you have.

 

Cross Stitch sourced from here

I have also been thinking about the journey through life to becoming a woman - stitching or preparing to run a household doesn't really play a role in this any more - rather education and getting a good job. 

Listening to The Book Show this morning (one of my favourite things to do whilst working in the studio) there was a review of  Bossypants by Tina Fey - a chapter is on becoming a woman - a story was retold of a workshop she once attended and all the participant were asked to write about the moment that they identified as a woman - and most described this moment as being abused by a man - which is a stomach curdling thought for a mother with a young daughter.

Last night at the studio

Last night at my Tuesday night studio evening I finished off some packaging for a recent commission by the local government - possum costumes!

Then I did a bit of procrastination - from my last post you will see that I am starting a new project and just a bit reluctant to take that first big bite - come on MUMMA you can do it!


But I did turn my procrastination into something productive a little sewing project from a fantastic op shopped tea towel for me - covering my journal and my daily to do list book.

Other side projects I have on the go include sorting my business out and making business cards for my mum - check this fantastic sewing design idea for cards.

Here is my daughter's first sewing project I also mentioned in my last post - she is 3 and half - we did it next to the camp fire whilst camping last week - her brother did one - but his still is a work in progress - I made his a little more complicated. Wish I got some shots of them sewing - but really had to keep them focused and pour all of my attention onto them.

Stitching is apart of the stuff we do

Kd is into his second week of school as a Grade One boy & also a new school. One of our "start-of-a-new-year" ritual is sewing key tags together. Here is 2008 and then 2009
This is the orginal image - I nearly passed out when Kd handed it over - as it is so detailed - but I think we did an Ok job! Kd stitched the black line around the outside of the design.

Below is an image my darling brother in law sent through of my sister soon to have her baby in April with her birthday scarf on. Her birthday was in Novemer, and I sent her gift to London via the ocean - I think she got it mid Jan! It includes french lace left over from my wedding gown, placed over some lovely velvet I found.
I have also fallen in love with this amazing paper sculpture that Kd created a few weeks back - completely brilliant

Oh when will I ever be brilliant? Speaking of embroidery brilliance check out these embroidered chairs.

New Art Work for our walls

My Hj loves to draw - she loves working with textas or biro the best and her favorite thing to draw in is my personal journal, daily planner, library books or the walls!

My creative Mum

My Mum is a bit amazing - she is not only the mother of SIX kiddies but an author in her own right.

She has also taught us all how to sew and here is some pics of items that she has recently made for Hj








Hj recently started walking and of course Mum got inspired and wrote this:

Little Sister

My little sister has robot legs

stiff steps her first walk taking,

how she comes so quickly

plunging down the hallway

to my room.

She's the height of first cupboard shelf

and her hands are more super hero-

fast pulling and choosing

the best of my pencils

to draw robot whirs

on my cupboard door.

(c)Lorraine Marwood

Sister & Mum Sewing Afternoon

I spent a lovely afternoon with my Mum & one of my sisters R - making things - I hopped on Mum's machine as mine is at the doctors to try and get Kd's library bag ready for his first day of pre-school on Thursday. Got a whole heap of hand sewing to do to get the bias binding down - keep sitting on the computer instead of in my studio!

Above is Chell making a bug with four tricky legs - can't wait to see how it turned out.


I love this drawing R found at an op shop - it is from the top of a puzzle and all the puzzle pieces are still intact!

My sister's crafting

I am the eldest of six children; who are all extraordinary and inspiring people. Who, without the knowledge that they are in my life and always who I am I certainly wouldn't dream of and then work towards my dreams

Here is a little of my second little sister's crafting; R (or Chelly pops!)




These are pattern pieces from some fantastic quilts that my Mum made for me - my greatest and most hidden regret is what happened to these quilts - please don't ask - I don't have them any more...

My intention it to make one for my daughter Hj for her second birthday - WATCH me stitch (hope it doesn't end up being her 12th birthday!)


This last picture is my brother restraining himself from going mad (although his muscles look impressive) and my new sister C (ooh and she has her Christmas apron on too - also made by R) - packing wedding invitations - we got ours in the post today and they look fantastic - although it ended up just being my drawing and not my sewing - hhhhmmmm - when am I going to be SUPER MUM?