Two-By-Two

It's The First Of August - and today marks the start of the fourth collaborative stitching project between Kirsten and me. I am so excited about this one! We started out with the Postcard Project, stitching on linen

And then we did the Cross Country Collaboration, working on evenweave Aida, doing cross stitch

And latterly, the CoverStory, adding patches each month to a foundation sheet, to make bookcovers.

In all that time we have learned about new embroidery stitches, Swedish weaving, Spanish work, Sashiko, Dorset Buttons, different types of thread, couching and more. We have also learned the wisdom of having A Good Plan before we begin a project, even if we tweak it along the way. 

CoverStory happened because we wanted to create useful pieces of stitching. And the book covers are great. So let's do a couple more covers, we said. But this time, slightly differently. Postal charges have gone up significantly since we began in 2022. And I have discovered that doing a practice piece each month has resulted in much better work.

This time, we are using the EPP [English Paper Piecing] technique, where each patch is stitched round a paper shape, then they are joined together at the end. But we will each do two very similar squares - and post one, and keep one. We will do 15 [x2] in total, to make a piece just big enough for an A5 book cover. I have already used my diecut machine to produce a lot of paper squares [quick, efficient, uniformly sized] plus a 'frame' so that we can choose where to cut out the fabric patch. 

Here's the frame on my bedroom quilt showing how you can line up the designs to get the best patterns. Below is a practice patch, to give you an idea of how it will work. So every month there will be two patches prepared by us both. That's Two-By-Two. Off we go!

It's A Stitch Up!

Three years ago, I reviewed this book - and the following week, I actually began the first collaboration with Kirsten on "The Postcard Project". So yes, I did end up buying it [secondhand of course] and it has been a useful resource as we have been stitching together. Now we are working on the final stages of CoverStory, and I have been looking for interesting stitches to embellish the seams.

The names are fascinating

According to the book, the one on the left is "feathered chain" stitch and the one on the right is "chained feather" stitch. And what about "square boss" stitch [I think I worked for him back in the 80s]

I am intrigued by the loopy "forbidden stitch" [also known as Pekinese stitch or Chinese stitch - maybe it comes from the Forbidden City in Beijing]
Many stitches have place names - Paris stitch, Cretan Stitch, Madeira work - and my favourite Norwich stitch.

Kirsten and I have agreed that having done all the edges, we will stitch our info panels - then one final swap. We will each end up with the panel with our name on it. At that point these will be turned into our notebook covers. And then we will scratch our heads and plan for our fourth collaborations.

Any ideas about what we will do next?

Edging Towards the Finishing Line

So all the patches are stitched on the CoverStory Panels [apart from the 'info panels' which will be completed shortly] This past month we have been embellishing the vertical seams, and now we have swapped pieces, and will work on the horizontal ones.

My panel with its seams stitched - I used stem stitch, feather stitch, couched running stitch and couched chain stitch.

And here is Kirsten's piece

We both used cotton perlé thread which works really well for this

She was much more adventurous than I was- using coral stitch, blanket stitch, french knots, and zigzag stitching. I found it quite hard to maintain a straight line as the area around the seams is quite thick, with three or four layers of fabric.

My parcel arrived on Thursday just before my SIL and BIL joined us for lunch. Denise said how much better it was to see and touch the stitching - so much more vivid than on the blog photographs. 

She is right, you cannot fully appreciate the colours and textures in a photograph.
I got the previous two pieces out of the drawer [Postcard Project and Cross Country Collaboration] to show her - and now I am thinking I must make an effort to get them into frames and displayed somewhere in the house. We are quite limited for wall space though...

At least the CoverStory pieces will be going onto notebooks and actually get "used"

K has already decided on her lining fabric. She is ahead of me there!

All Stitched Up!

 I have finally completed my half of the Cross Stitch Collaboration. The stitching was all done by Pentecost as we planned, but I had to complete the notebook with details, and scan the book to send a copy to Kirsten. Now it is all done. My final stitching was the border round the edge. names and dates top and bottom, and I chose verses from Psalm 4 for left and right. 

"You put gladness in my heart" 

    "In peace I will lie down and sleep"

You should be able to click on this for a better view, and for the individual months, click on the "cross country collaboration" label in the sidebar.

The whole piece measures 21" x 11" and is yet to be framed.

The side borders of  Kirsten's say 

"Dum Spiro Spero - while I breathe, I hope"

    Lo, I am with you always"
This has been a great follow up to our original Postcard Project. I can really recommend this collaborative stitching to build sewing skills and strong friendships.

Girls' Day Out

The greatest outcome of my visit to the Castle Museum in January last year was this amazing, ongoing stitching collaboration with Kirsten. But another thing was that I was given a free ticket for The Museum of Norwich.  But as a Museums Season Ticket Holder, I did not need it for myself. It has remained in the back of my wallet for nearly 18 months. 

This place is a little gem- packed full of stuff about the history of our fine city. So on Thursday, when Bob was on Hospice Chaplaincy duty, I took Rosie into the city centre so we could look round the museum together. She's great company. We had sandwiches in M&S [children's meals are free at the minute] then walked down to the Museum. The building has a fascinating history

Rosie loved all the exhibits- carefully laid out in a way which is accessible for children, with signs saying "look in the drawers" - where you can find other intriguing objects. She loved the Spitfire Cottage Doll's House.

There were baskets of toys in many rooms, appropriate for bored toddlers - and opportunities to dress up. Be a city gent in one of the coffee houses, in a powdered wig and tricorn hat. Or try on a hat from the store of the eccentric but talented Norwich entrepreneur Rumsey Wells.

Let's dress up! cried my companion gleefully, and who was I to demur? She selected a top hat for herself and a pith helmet for me. And grabbed the curly wig to wear under her brown tricorn.

If you look very carefully, you can see there is still some swelling [but not much] on my lower lip, and really close inspection will reveal the temporary repairs to my incisors. But honestly, my mouth has healed up incredibly well in the 2½ weeks since it happened, thank the Lord.

I was able to enjoy my M&S prawn sandwich. Rosie explained that she has to be careful with food too, as she has a number of wobbly teeth at the moment.

It was a lovely afternoon together - we walked back to the Forum and read books in the children's library as we waited for all the family to arrive. 

Jess was very cheerful in the library, finding Hey Duggee books for grandad Bob to read to her. The place was packed with families enjoying the books and other activities. 

I nipped into the American Library . Last time I was in there, I mentioned to the staff member that I wished they stocked "Real Simple" in the magazines section. She took the details - and lo and behold, now they do have it there on the shelf. Brilliant!

What a great day out with a great little girl.

Postcard #2

This is the final Postcard Project posts This is the piece which Kirsten will be keeping. I think if you click on the image, you should be able to see more details

On the right, the name, blog address, and postmark - plus British stamp. Plus the two royal cyphers marking the death of the Queen and accession of the King. And my William Morris tile.

On the left, reading from top corner

The Cat behind the Tulips, K 's cute pet

A wonderful tree of life, in Spanish Work [aka blackwork - but K chose green!]

A Delft Tile, after another of K's NT visits

A Celtic circle of flowers by K

A traditional English folk song - by music teacher K

The Magi worship the hope of the World - my Christmas piece

Cake! K celebrated a birthday in November with a cross stitch pattern

A  Patchwork Teddy, acknowledging that I spend time making memory bears for friends

A miniature square of knitting - another of my favourite relaxation pastimes

Palm leaves, the Cross, the resurrection sunrise. A Easter Celebration

Down the centre The Postcard Project. conceived, delivered, dated and signed by us both

As you can see, we used lots of different techniques over the two panels

cross stitch, back stitch, blackwork, waste canvas work, Dorset Buttons, knitting, appliqué, beadwork, boro, and a huge variety of embroidery stitches... and we worked round the panels in quite random ways. Having agreed to 'take September off', the death of the Queen meant a special royal announcement needed to be recorded on both pieces.

People have been so kind in comments, and suggestions. We hope it may have inspired some of you to work on collaborative stitching, It has certainly developed our stitching skills, and deepened our friendship.

I never dreamed I would gain so much when I began this exciting journey of discovery

Postcard #1

Here are the final two Postcard Project posts - one today, one tomorrow. This is the piece which I will be keeping, framing and displaying [along with a photo of the other piece which is now with Kirsten]. I think if you click on the image, you should be able to see more details

On the right, the name, blog address, and postmark - plus Ukrainian stamp. Plus the two royal cyphers marking the death of the Queen and accession of the King. And my washing line.

On the left, reading from top corner

Veg in One Bed my celebration of becoming a gardener

8pm Clock - K's daily time of prayer for peace in Ukraine

The sunflower and flag - my pictures for Ukraine along with the World Day of Prayer Logo

Nazanin is home from Iran - my joy at her plane landing in the UK

A view across the countryside - K's beautiful sketch interpreted in stitch

A little bird - I spent November embroidering these for my craft sale

Grandson Jacob's birth announcement

The postcard project, conceived, delivered, dated and signed by us both

A Christmas tree with K's Epiphany blessing

A patched panel - my boro stitching

Autumn leaves - K's circle of foliage

The labyrinth of prayer - K's meditative garden

The tea tray - K's appliqué and stitched homage to our afternoon delights

A Bicycle - my piece incorporating Dorset button wheels.

I cannot believe how much we stitched in one year - the notebook accompanying the fabric lists all the stitch patterns, and changed plans, and design decisions etc. 

Tomorrow I will post a picture of K's postcard.[They are about 24" x 12" in size.]

Gold, Frankincense And Myrrh

Yes, I know Epiphany Sunday was last week, but since then I have been thinking a lot about the Wise Men - their names and their gifts

.Matthew chapter 2 tells us about the Magi but gives no names, and does not specify the number – just that there were three gifts. There are various traditions about their names The common Western tradition has identified them as Caspar, Melchior & Balthazar. One popular legend has portrayed Caspar as a king of India, Melchior as a king of Persia, and Balthazar as a king of Arabia.

In the East, however, other names appear. Many Syrian Christians call them Larvandad, Gushnasaph, & Hormisdas. Ethiopians name them Hor, Karsudan, & Basanater, Armenians call them Kagpha, Badadakharida, & Badalilma.

The Western tradition of their names seems to have derived from a Greek manuscript most likely composed about the year 500 in Alexandria, Egypt, and translated into Latin. A second Greek document [also translated into Latin but presumed to be of Irish origin - which is bizarre!] from the eighth century, continues that tradition.

Kirsten's December stitching for the Postcard project was this lovely curvy Christmas tree. She cleverly adapted it from this pattern. And below it added 
20+C+M+B+23

Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar in 2023.

but also a prayer

Christus

Mansionem

Benedicat

that is "May Christ bless this house"

And their gifts - well, I read this really sad story on the BBC website. It appears that there is currently a gold rush in Somalia - in the very place with the frankincense and myrrh trees grow. The gold rush which began around five years ago has led to the uprooting of frankincense and myrrh trees, some centuries old. "Gold-miners have swarmed into the mountains," says Hassan Ali Dirie who works for the Candlelight environmental organisation. "They cut down all the plants when they clear areas for mining. They damage the roots of the trees when they dig for gold. They block crucial waterways with their plastic bottles and other rubbish," he said. "Day by day, they are ensuring the slow death of these ancient trees. The first to go are the myrrh trees, which are uprooted when the diggers clear the land for surface mining, frankincense trees grow on rocks and last a little longer. Communities are being ruined by greed. Read it for yourself, and see how western greed has destroyed an ancient way of life. So very, very sad. Whatever their names were, I am sure those 'wise men' in Bethlehem would not have wanted this destruction. And neither would the Baby they came to worship.

#Word365

In 2020 I chose inspire, in 2021 it was adventure, and in 2022 it was look again.

So I thought long and hard about my Word of The Year for 2023. Was there anything in 2022 which had gone well, which might be a starting point for my theme? It was pretty obvious really...

Since January, I have been exchanging a parcel of stitching each month with Kirsten. It has become my standard answer when anyone asks me what craft work I am currently working on "Oh, I'm doing a collaborative needlework project with another blogger from Sussex" I say [It sounds much more classy than 'me and my mate send bits of linen through the post to each other"] K&I barely knew each other before this began, but over the year have become good friends [yet to meet in person]

But the whole sharing and working together has made the project brilliant. I know we have picked up techniques, and exchanged ideas. The dictionary defines collaboration as "the action of working with someone to produce something"

I found this 

Seven Keys to Creative Collaboration

• It's voluntary. [Forced collaboration isn't collaboration]
• People are dependable
• There's trust and vulnerability
• The structure is loose  - but there is a structure
• We share a vision
• The ability to not always take things seriously
• We embrace candour and conflict.

Our "Postcard Project" has certainly revealed many of these things [fortunately no conflict]

Like cogs working together, there must be planning, support, help, trust, teamwork and togetherness if a collaboration is to achieve success. And like the cogs in a well-oiled machine, there are times when one will carry a bigger load, another will spin faster, and yet another may feel they are going in the opposite direction - but if all mess smoothly as they should , things will work.

Already this year I have found situations where I am needing to collaborate with others

• with friends at church as we plan for another Holiday Club [even in retirement, this is on the calendar for Bob and myself] We will collaborate to make it the best we can,
• as we seek to help an elderly neighbour, we are collaborating with friends and family members to support her through a difficult patch
• obviously we collaborate with our daughters as they are seeking to be good parents to our four darling grandchildren. Not to tell them what to do, judge their parenting styles, or burden them with unworkable advice- but to be there to help when needed. Hilary Clinton's book "It takes a Village" [to raise a child] made the point that it is hard work bringing up little ones, and we all have a responsibility.

There will be other timers, other opportunities for collaboration I am sure.

Bob and the girls will tell you that I am an independent, often obstinate woman - reluctant at times to accept the help I'm offered "No I can do it myself!" I need to learn to collaborate more, to share the load. "Teamwork makes the dream work, Grandma" says Rosie.

Let's see where this one takes us...

There's still time to comment on the 4000000 Giveaway post!

Postcard Project Progress

I have been very remiss about reporting the work done on our project. I sent back my last parcel to Kirsten without showing the October stitching she'd done, and my addition. And now four weeks later, we have exchanged again. I'd better get a wiggle on [this is apparently a phrase from the USA, published in 1891, in the poem 'The American Psalm of Life' which begins "Get a wiggle on my lad, don't walk at a funeral pace..."]

Here is a lovely circle of Autumn leaves, stitched by Kirsten

My November was very taken up with producing stuff for my sale, and that included lots of bird brooches. So I added a bird to the linen rectangle

In November both Kirsten and Bob celebrated their birthdays. I had mentioned the coffee cake I'd made for my beloved. Kirsten made herself a coffee cake too. Then she re-coloured a chart she had for a birthday cake cross stitch, and here is the result

She tells me that the stitch round the edge, holding the Aida to the foundation cloth, is Bosnian Stitch. It is done in two stages, firstly the verticals, then the diagonals. Kirsten chose variegated thread for a 'party' feel!

I have an idea for my Christmas stitching, but it will have to wait a bit. I've yet to ice my cake. Kirsten included a lovely package of crafting materials - having been to a workshop, she thought the resulting activity might be something Rosie would enjoy, so generously supplied me with fabrics and an instruction sheet. 

Watch this space...

Have you done any Christmas crafting?

Kezzie  has produced some great Christmas trees from recycled paper and cardboard - if needle and thread is not your thing, do check out her blog for great papercrafting

From Norfolk- To Norfolk

Kirsten sent me the Postcard Project parcel this week, and in the notes refers to her use of Split Stitch - which reminded me of Quaker stitch. And that got me thinking about one of my Norfolk heroines - Elizabeth Fry. Two centuries ago, Elizabeth supplied the women being transported to Australia with a ‘care package’. These packs contained material scraps, sewing tools, knives and forks, string and a bible; all of which would be vital for their survival when they reached their destination.

I read on the BBC news site last week about migrants 'mistakenly' taken from the Centre at Manston and left stranded in London at Victoria Station. 

These cold, hungry young men had just a few possessions in blue plastic carriers. Some had no proper shoes, just flip-flops. 

Well done, Danial Abbas, of the Under One Sky charity, for helping these people; buying them clothes, shoes and food, and for persisting with his efforts to contact the Home Office. The men were finally picked up around 1am and taken to a hotel. In Norwich - the very city where Elizabeth Fry grew up!

God bless you Danial for what you did on Tuesday night - and for literally going the extra mile and travelling to Norfolk on Wednesday evening, to take them further supplies at the hotel. Elizabeth Fry would be pleased.

I'd already decided to donate a small gift to a charity, in gratitude for my OAP Winter Fuel Allowance. This year it has gone to Under One Sky. 

Christmas [Post] Card

My "flat" gift included in the last Postcard Project Parcel was a tiny Christmas Tree decoration for Kristen. I thought it would be fun to acknowledge our year of collaborative stitching so I made two small postcards - one for each of us to hang on our Christmas tree.

They are very simply made - just a rectangle of Aida cross-stitch fabric, folded in half, stitched round a piece of card. The pound coin gives you an idea of scale. The head on the stamp is more E2R than C3R, but for the majority of the year, HER Majesty has been on our post!

UK Christmas stamps go on sale today! 

Casting Off

 Until recently, I did not know that the phrase "cast off" had so many meanings.

When a sailor says "cast off" he means to release a boat from its moorings and set sail.

It also means to get rid of something unwanted or undesirable - not just old clothes, but also relationships. "She was cast off by her family, who disapproved of her behaviour"

It is a hunting term - to let an animal free to seek its prey [a hawk, or a hound]

And when a printer "casts off" a manuscript, he is estimating how much space will be required for the text.

For me, casting off is first and foremost a knitting term. I enjoy knitting almost as much as sewing. My October contribution to the Postcard Project has been a tiny square of knitting. 

I made it with fine wool on UK 14 [2mm] needles. Then I made some tiny needles using two plastic cocktail sticks with beads on the end.

Now to try and find some inspiration for the November stitching...

UK readers - don't forget to put your clocks back tonight

The Tree Of Life

 Kirsten's latest addition to the Postcard Project is utterly stunning. Taking her inspiration from Revelation 22:2 ['the leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of the nations'] she has stitched this amazing tree.

The leaves on this stylised tree have all been filled in using different, regular stitch patterns. This technique, using counting threads on evenweave fabric has been known in Britain since the time of Geoffrey Chaucer 600 years ago, and is popularly known as blackwork. [although not exclusively stitched in black - other colours, especially red, were often used] Kirsten's use of different shades of green works particularly well. 

This stitching has an interesting Royal connection. Although it had been in use for over 100 years, it became incredibly fashionable at the start of the 16th century because of Henry VIII's first wife, Katharine of Aragon. She was very fond of this embroidery as a trimming on her garments, and it was referred to as 'Spanish work' in her honour. However after Henry divorced her, it was called Blackwork again. 

I've been fascinated by blackwork for years, but never got round to trying it. I'm thrilled Kirsten has added it to our Project. 

My "royal" stitching has been a simple announcement of the change of monarch - incorporating the old and the new Royal Cypher. 

Now I am working on my October stitching. The quilting activity is on the back burner [again!] 

In Which Ang Becomes A Stripper

The latest Memory Bear has just been completed - this time with only three shirts, not the usual four. It is for the mother of a young man who died too soon - and lived mostly in teeshirts and jeans. So I used some denim to make the backpack. I always ask if the family would like any leftover fabric returned - they usually say "No, you can keep it"

So I have a bag of shirt bits in the loft. I got it down this week, and sorted and ironed everything. Buttons [and interesting labels] were removed and stored - and then I cut off cuffs and collars, and separated the pieces into fronts, backs, sleeves and yokes. 

I cut every piece into a rectangle, and put large trimmings into a rag bag for Bob's workshop, small pieces into the bin. I ironed all the rectangles, and got out my BigShot Die Cutter, and my fancy new dies.

The instructions say you can cut up to eight 

layers - and if you fold the fabric carefully, make strips 5 yards long!

However my strips are mostly around 24" long, which is the length of the die - and about the length of a shirt back. It did not take me very long to produce hundreds of neat strips 2½" wide.

I have another carrier bag of shirt bits to 'strip', and then I am going to start planning my quilt. I borrowed this book from the library for inspiration.

It is full of quilts made using Moda 'Jelly Roll' packs, but I want to create my quilt using Memory Bear Strips. Once I have all my strips, I shall play around with them, and see what ideas I come up with.

But Kirsten has just sent me a package- so the next instalment of The Postcard Project has to be done first.