In Celebration of Stitch

Off bright and early to the NEC, Birmingham, with Janet and Fiona

...to the Hobbycrafts/Sewing for Pleasure Show

It was great fun. I spent some money [but not as much as some other ladies we saw, who were dragging trolleys full of stuff]

The visitors to the event were mostly female - although there were a few bored looking gents wandering around.

There were a lot of stallholders trying to sell their wares [some of which seemed overpriced and a little gimmicky] but also some really brilliant displays

Fiona and I were particularly impressed by the Afghanistan Inspiration exhibit [more details here]

Within the framework of a self-help project , women in Laghmani, north of Kabul embroider 8 x 8 cm squares. By selling their embroidery they are able to substantially improve the financial situation of their families.

The embroidered squares are not to be seen as finished products but rather as a basic element which is sold in Europe in order to be integrated into a textile work. The embroidered squares are very well suited for combining with patchwork, quilt, embroidery [hand or machine], weave or felting techniques, where they can be set as eyecatchers. The results are symbolically striking textile works that unite not only techniques but also two cultures. The aim of the exhibition is to promote curiosity and openness toward the culture of other women and to encourage the coming together and uniting in a common spirit.

Another exhibit was ‘In Celebration of Stitch’, which showcased the stunning work of Dr Isabel Elliot, former Mistress of Embroidery at Gloucester Cathedral. We met this elderly lady and chatted with her about a lifetime spent as an embroiderer and admired her creativity. A mindblowing display of needlework taking the form of three-dimensional items including miniature furniture, houses, even a whole village all densely covered with tapestry, embroidery, drawn thread work - you name it - every kind of needle-work known to woman was represented here in perfectly executed detail by this remarkable lady.

I got very nostalgic when I saw this stand - back in the 1980s, I had a number of Clothkits items. Check out their new website.

I bought a metre of red ribbon, just for old times' sake!!

Once I get my camera sorted out, I shall post some photos of my purchases.

Fuji contacted me yesterday - apparently my camera 'had suffered impact damage' and therefore repairs were not covered by the warranty [typical!]

I had two choices - repair the old camera[£59.98] or trade-in and upgrade to a new model [£45 to get another identical but new camera]

It seemed daft to pay more for the old camera fixed and returned, so I have reluctantly shelled out for a new one - but at least it is a very good price.

I did take a couple of pictures with Bob's camera on Wednesday night at Sewing Club though. Here is Ann [behind quilt on left] and Susan [on right] holding up a quilt.

This is the "Quilt For Heroes" which Ann is making...

We were all amazed by the speed with which she has been putting it together. It is backed with a lovely scarlet sheet [just visible in top picture] Ann has done the hand-quilting and now just has to bind the edges.

I am sure that some of you blogfriends must have been at the NEC today - wondered if we passed each other unawares in the crowded aisles? If you did get to the show, I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. My only complaint was the lack of adequate seating in the refreshment area. There were an awful lot of us sitting on the floor to eat our lunches!

But it was a really good day today - and leaves one with an Itch To Stitch [and make cards, and do scrapbooks, and knit, and do beadwork...]

But tonight I am busy - off to church, to sort out stuff for Sunday School this weekend and also the flowers for tomorrows wedding.

Lent - And Luke 6:38

I am trying to give something away every day of Lent. I am keeping a list of these items - and on days when I don't manage it, then I put a pound coin in a shot glass on the dressing table at bedtime.

I have had a number of 'unexpected' charity events this month, so when these occur, I have given away my £s. But somehow things haven't worked out as expected.

When we were trying to work out how to decorate the bags for the Mothering Sunday plants, I wanted a different idea from last year

 

Last year we decorated white carriers with flowers punched out of old greetings cards.

This year, I decided to tie big coloured labels on the bags.

You will notice that the tags are all affixed with a bow of golden ribbon.

 

 

The ribbon came from the Great Stash. A couple of years ago, a friend said "Do you want this?" - and gave me a plastic bag containing one hundred lengths of golden ribbon - each piece exactly 13" long!

They proved ideal for tying 100 tags on 100 bags. So I felt that they should be my Lent Giveaway for that day.

But then - just a few days after we had prepared the bags, that same friend came up to me at church with a carrier bag. "I'm having the loft insulated, so I had to clear it all out" she said, "thought you could probably use these"

The carrier was full of all sorts of ribbons and trims [including the pink I used for bag repairs]

And there, at the bottom of the carrier, was a plastic bag, containing ...

A hundred more 13" lengths of golden ribbon!!

[No, I didn't believe it either!]

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Pretty in Pink

This is my bag which came from a World Conference in Birmingham five years ago. I was the UK coordinator for this event, and spent about three years in preparation for it. So the bag represents much hard work and many happy memories.

It is a Freeset bag - their website explains " each Freeset Bag tells a story of one woman's journey to freedom. She used to stand with 6,000 other prostitutes in a small but well known area of North Calcutta. She didn't choose her profession; it chose her. Poverty does that. It robs people of their dignity and children of their innocence.

She still lives in the same area, but instead of selling her body she makes Freeset Bags. Now she has choices, the choice to work decent hours for decent pay, to re-establish her dignity in her community and to learn to read and write. Now her daughter won't have to stand in the street selling her body like her mother used to. Freedom has been passed on to the next generation."

We felt it was important that for our women's conference we used bags made by other women.

However the straps were beginning to fray badly, and the bottom corners were wearing through too.

I happened to have some pink trim in The Great Stash

So I bound the straps and reinforced the tatty corners

Now doesn't that look better!

It's Ada Lovelace Day!

Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to celebrate the achievements of women in technology and science.

The first Ada Lovelace Day was held on 24th March 2009 and was a huge success. It attracted nearly 2000 signatories to the pledge and 2000 more people who signed up on Facebook.

Over 1200 people added their post URL to the Ada Lovelace Day 2009 mash-up. The day itself was covered by BBC,The Guardian, and The Telegraph, as well as hundreds of blogs worldwide.

Ada Lovelace [daughter of the poet Lord Byron]was one of the world’s first computer programmers, and one of the first people to see computers as more than just a machine for doing sums. She wrote programmes for Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, a general-purpose computing machine, despite the fact that it was never built. She also wrote the very first description of a computer and of software.

I signed the Pledge last year and nominated my old Maths Teacher as my tech heroine. This year I am choosing another female mathematician, but she is much more famous for revolutionising nursing care - the Lady With The Lamp - Florence Nightingale

 

As a girl, Florence begged her parents "to let her study mathematics instead of doing worsted work and practicing quadrilles." Her mother "did not approve, home duties were not to be neglected for mathematics."

 

 

She assumed that her daughter's destiny was marriage, "and what use were mathematics to a married woman?" Her father, who loved maths and had communicated that love to his daughter, nevertheless urged her to study more appropriate subjects for a woman, "history or philosophy". Florence expressed her preference for mathematics by saying, "I don't think I shall succeed so well in anything that requires quickness as in what requires only work." Her parents finally granted permission. [Years later, her mathematical approach saved the British army at Scutari during the Crimean war and provided the data that led to hospital reforms.]

Eventually Florence had tuition in arithmetic, geometry and algebra, and before her involvement with nursing, she spent her time tutoring children in these subjects. In the British Museum, one can read her lesson plans [including story problems based her pupils' experiences] for teaching arithmetic and geometry. She includes reminders to tell pupil teachers "to write notes of all the lessons they will give through the next week-they must never give them unprepared...tell them you prepare yourself."

Her lesson plans show concern about the education of girls. "Girls' arithmetic has been neglected--their geography should be made arithmetical." She made notes to ask such questions as:

How high is the reindeer? Are you as high? How high are you? 3 feet-how much is that? a yard- are you a quadruped? How far is the topmost point of Europe from the Equator? How far do you come to school? Two miles- now, if you were to walk two geographical miles a day, how long should you be walking to the equator? 

So for Ada Lovelace Day 2010, I nominate Florence Nightingale as my heroine, because she was a woman who showed Christian compassion, a love of maths, and a commitment to good teaching!

Check out the Ada Lovelace Day website for more stuff!

Great Scott!!

Our missionary, Scott, is back briefly from Peru, to attend a family wedding. So he came along on Monday night to tell us about the work he is doing. Here he is with Bob, discussing some deep theological issue or other [or possibly debating how things happen at BUGB/BMS HQ in Didcot]

We began with a supper

It was good to have lots of visitors from other local Baptist churches who are also linked with Scott, and also a lovely couple who had driven all the way from Bedford to meet him.

Someone else turned up with a small bag of baby hats and socks her neighbour had knitted - "Is it too late for the Christmas Collection? Can you fit these in your case?"

After the meal, we went upstairs to the Chapel, and by then there were almost 100 of us there.

Contrasting his work as a Pastor in London - with a Leadership Team, equipment, and loads of resources - with his church plant work in Peru, where he has nothing apart from The Word and The Spirit, Scott challenged us to pray for the people there.

Back in January, I mentioned the Cusco floods on the blog [here]

Scott showed us many pictures of the devastation, and the relief work he has been involved with [loads more info here]

At the time, I was ranting that the BBC news was focused on the tourists stranded at Machu Pichu, the Inca site, and ignoring the plight of locals who has lost everything. Scott did more than rant - he complained to the BBC - and now they are sending their Lima correspondent out to interview him next month!! So keep a look out for that - and pray that Scott will have an opportunity to speak well about the tremendous work being done. [I love listening to FOOC** on Radio 4, I think it is an example of professional journalistic writing at its best]

Thanks for coming Scott - it has certainly informed our praying, and we will continue to remember you, Anjanette, Jess and Sam, and the Cafe Church

Now I am off to yet another Lent House Group...

[**From Our Own Correspondent - see website]

Purple Giveaway

I just love this poem!

 

Warning - by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Well, I already have a purple tee shirt, and I certainly hoard pens, pencils and things in boxes [no beermats though!] and I enjoy nibbling [not gobbling] samples in shops, and Bob is very fond of sausages [although not 3lbs at a time]

...but I hate the taste of brandy, I never spit or swear in the street, and I hope I would never steal flowers from someone else's garden.

...however as a further stage in my grand decluttering, and as another Lenten Giveaway, I have decided to put together a little parcel of purple goodies.

[amaranthine, amethyst, blackberry, heliotrope, lavender, lilac, magenta, mauve, mulberry, orchid, periwinkle, perse, plum, pomegranate, violet...what a poetic colour]

Same procedure as last time - please post a comment on this post before midnight Friday 26th March.

Lenten Giveaway #1

And the winner is...

So a parcel of goodies will be shortly winging its way to India.

Well done Elizabeth - and thanks to everyone else who entered.

Congregations That Care

Church was amazing this morning - especially when my friend came to the front  and spoke about why she was there. She suffered from ME for a number of years, and been really poorly for the last three - in bed all the time, unable to do anything. But Christian friends had prayed for her, and helped her - and now she is well enough to come to church, go shopping, do stuff with her family...and she believes that God has answered prayer, so she is coming to church to find out more about Him [she says if you had asked her a few years ago, she'd have called herself an atheist] And she spoke about the way that knowing the fellowship had cared about her meant so much.

It was really moving. "Did I do OK?" she asked me afterwards. I pointed out that Bob doesn't usually get applause when he speaks!

I only had two boys in my Sunday School class, but we had fun discussing "Rules For Living" and the 10 Commandments. They both felt that "Do not play loud music to annoy the neighbours" should be in the list somewhere!

Then this afternoon, I drove about twelve miles up the road to preach at another church. I had a great time - a congregation of two dozen or so, meeting in a Primary School [their little Baptist Chapel was condemned about 6 years ago] What a lovely fellowship! I hadn't met them before. Their pastor [loved and greatly missed] moved away a few months back, but these people were in such good heart, and really positive about moving forward with God. They made me so welcome.

But now I am feeling incredibly tired and looking forward to a day off. I will check my giveaway tomorrow.

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ

A Pause In Lent #5

On Friday I was looking at yet another Michael Morpurgo book, and in the front was an interview with MM. He listed as his favourite piece of music 'Spem in Alium'. [what?]

So I said to Bob "Do you know 'Spem in Alium'?" and he promptly replied "Oh, it was Henry the Eighth's favourite meal, it is Latin for 'Spam in Garlic'!" after I had groaned, he told me it was actually a piece of music by Thomas Tallis, and got his PC to play it for me. [How does he know all this stuff?]

OK, it was in Latin, and renaissance polyphony, not my usual style - but I have to admit, I did enjoy listening to it. The title comes from the first line

Spem in alium nunquam habui praeter in te Deus Israel

which translates

I have never put my hope in any other but in you, O God of Israel

and is taken from the book of Judith, in the Apocrypha.

That set me thinking about other pieces of music which take as their theme 'Hope in God'. First of all Isaac Watts' hymn from Psalm 146 - I'll praise my maker [John Wesley is said to have sung this hymn on his death bed.]

I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath,
And when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler powers;
My days of praise shall ne’er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
Or immortality endures.

Happy the man whose hopes rely
on Israel's God: he made the sky,
and earth, and seas, with all their train;
his truth for ever stands secure,
he saves the oppressed, he feeds the poor,
and none shall find his promise vain.

Then I thought of

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand

In a world which seems to be struggling, stressed, and hope-less, isn't it great that we can share the Good News, that in Jesus we do have hope?

On the radio this week, I have listened to news stories about the Pope apologising for the mistakes of the bishops, the politicians trying to sort out the reckless miscalculations of the banks, and loads of travellers discovering they cannot trust 'the world's favourite airline' to get them to their destination.

I am glad my hope is somewhere eternally unchanging, and utterly reliable.

So on this 5th Sunday of Lent,

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Blooming Bargains!

My little M&S tin was rather full of coupons - including a £2 Tesco Voucher, a £4 coupon against any Unilever products, a Comfort voucher, an Ariel voucher[to be used in Tesco's] and a Twinings voucher. So I went off to Tesco's and spent them. Felt extremely thrifty when I got all this for just £1.72

But I think the girls on the checkouts must work in some sort of stupor [I probably would if I was in Tesco's all day] I was in the '10 items or less' queue [FEWER! mutters my pedantic spouse] with just 8 items [Bob's torch not shown in picture above] And the lady rang up my purchases, and I handed over my coupons, and she said "Did you buy any of these products?" I nearly said "Apart from the torch, I didn't buy anything but these items" - but I just patiently unpacked the bag and showed her each thing.

I know Steph thinks I am irrationally prejudiced against that shop [yes dear, I am] but honestly, my shopping experience today wasn't brilliant. After my hassle with paying extra postage on an overlarge Christmas card [here] I was interested to see a Staff Member [with a special badge] sorting out the Charity Cards display. "Excuse me" I said "Why are so many of Tesco's Charity Cards so large?" "Is that a problem?" she replied.

I explained that the majority of the cards on her display would not go through the post with an ordinary 1st or 2nd class stamp, but counted as 'large letters' - so if the person posting them put an ordinary stamp on, then the recipient had to pay extra postage. "I don't think you are right" she said "You only pay extra if it is too big to go through your letterbox" I couldn't be bothered to argue. But Tesco's staff who are specially designated to deal with cards ought to know the rules, surely?

Home again, for a strong cup of coffee, and then on to arranging flowers. At next week's wedding, the bride's colours are ivory and chocolate - so she wanted flowers in that colour. She knew they would have to be silk ones. From my point of view, that was useful, as I have been able to source them over a matter of weeks, until I had a bucket full

First I assembled the basics

Then I prepared the pew ends, pegging them onto a cord strung across the conservatory as I worked. Here they are, half-done...

 

Then I did the main arrangement

I shall take more photos when they are in place at church next Saturday . For Lee and Shayla's sake, I hope they have a dry and sunny day - it has been raining most of the day today]

These flowers came from the stall on Leicester market and also Wilkinsons. And Flowercraft of Cank Street Leicester were extremely helpful in supplying the chocolate coloured ribbon.

Bob has been working incredibly hard on preparing a banner for "Awakenings" - our special Easter Sunday event [recycling the banner we used for the Christmas Panto] Another thing to take a picture of once it is displayed at church. He's kindly lent me his camera for blog-pix until Fuji returns mine!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway before tomorrow [click here]

Full marks to John at Jug-It, who replied very promptly to my enquiry - yes, the Sainsbury's nearest to Cornerstones stocks milk-bags, as do a number of their other Norfolk branches!

I am getting on very well with it, so have picked up another jug [while still 50p] to use there.

Oh, and I heard that Dawn's costume apparently fitted her well, and looked amazing - I left it in the School Office for her yesterday, and she later tried it on and paraded round the staffroom in it. Wish I had been there to see that!!!

Logophilia!

What makes a good Christmas Present? - I think one quality of such a gift is that the recipient is still enjoying it much later in the year.

One such item Bob and I received which continues to give great pleasure is our "Forgotten English" Calendar, which gives us a new and obscure word every day.

Some of the words we have encountered thus far we knew already.

But many of them are new to us - they are fascinating and it is a shame they have fallen into disuse. Beneath each definition is a short passage relating to the word, giving an example of its use.

sermocination - the art or practice of making speeches. That was listed in Samuel Johnson's dictionary in 1755.

[this is linked to Hercules Clay of Newark, Nottinghamshire who paid for an Annual Parish Sermon back in 1643 - which continues to be delivered - see here]

metromania - a species of insanity in which the patient evinces a rage for reciting poetry. Rev John Boag's Dictionary of 1850.

Oh dear, I suspect Bob and I may both suffer from this one! We are both prone to declaiming odd odes and snatches of verse at times.

gelastic - pertaining to laughter, inclined to laugh. Nathaniel Bailey's Etymological Dictionary, 1736.

Well, I confess to being inclined to laugh earlier this week. Halfway through the communion service in the Care Home, the lady next to me suddenly removed the wafer from her mouth, put it on the chair, and said loudly  "Oh no, that's not my cup of tea at all!" I was trying hard to be quiet and reverent, but it was hard not to smile.

I have just discovered that Logophilia [love of words] is also the name of a company producing posters - including all these based on the "Keep Calm and Carry On" theme. [check here]

I think I rather like "Do Good Like Jesus Would"

Which do you like? 

Attention!

Sometimes I think I should learn to keep my head down and just quietly get on with life! Today I was in one school a.m. and another p.m. - so at midday, I drove from one site to the other, and arrived in school #2 for lunch. As I entered the staffroom, someone said "Now this is the person who will help you" - and indicated me.

It appears that one of the young Teaching Assistants is going to a Fancy Dress Event on Friday Night. She ordered a costume for £10 from eBay, advertised as size 32-34. She thought that was the bust size [she's very slim] but in fact that was the dress size! Consequently she has a dress measuring 64" round the bust - that's TWICE her measurement!!  [BTW, did you know Queen Victoria measured 64" round the bust? Not that she ever went to Fancy Dress Parties...]

There is obviously not time to return this outfit for a smaller size- so could I possibly take it in [by 50%] to make it fit? So I called round to her home after school, and with much giggling and pinning up, we think we have got it re-sized.

All I have to do now is sew the thing on the overlocker.

The party is an Army/Uniform themed event. Here is the outfit...

For the record

1. I don't mind Fancy Dress- but you would never catch me in an outfit like this
2. The Army cap supplied is huge too, and I will have to modify that to fit my friends smaller head.
3. Yes, my friend has the boots, fishnet tights, and plastic gun
4. At her request, I am adjusting it to have a higher neckline and longer skirt!
5. The thought of a woman with 64" bust and 68"hips wearing this outfit is too horrific to contemplate
6. Actually, confronted by a female of such dimensions in an outfit like this, I imagine the enemy would surrender immediately.

I am pleased that this colleague felt she could ask me to use my sewing skills to help out - but I must remember to move the packet [currently on display in the hall, next to my school bag] before anybody comes to visit the Pastor, and gets entirely the wrong idea about me!

At Your Own Convenience!

I was teaching my literacy session with two year 5 boys, and we were trying to make sentences more interesting. One turned "He went to the shop" to "The small boy strolled slowly down the road to the convenience store to buy some sweets"

His friend said "Why sweets? shouldn't a convenience store sell conveniences?" I pointed out that Public Conveniences were Toilets, and not likely to be sold at a little shop in the village. They were greatly amused by this thought.

 

We continued to improve on our dull sentences. One of the boys decided to use the word diarrhoea. Then burst into a silly little ditty about it.

"No!" I said firmly "you cannot use that word in my lessons unless you can spell it"

Poor child, brought up on a diet of phonics, spelled out

Der - Eye -Aa - Ree- Yer, and therefore wrote down D-I-A-R-Y

His friend leaned over, and said "Err, isn't that diary?"

 

 

What would Samuel Pepys make of that?

Trying not to giggle, I changed the subject, and got them to look at their homework instead!

 

btw, did you notice that Charmin has been renamed Cushelle? [both names seem equally daft to me] I refuse to use it anyway, because of their policy of destroying rainforest in Brazil to make this super-soft loo paper from eucalyptus pulp [see here].

There's nothing wrong with the recycled stuff!

A Lenten Giveaway

When Steph was about 10, she bought a brilliant birthday card for Bob which had a picture of a 'demo' on it, and the speech bubbles read

"What do we want?" "PROCRASTINATION!"

"When do we want it?" "NEXT WEEK!"

I confess that I am prone to procrastination, especially when it comes to decluttering. We have a rowing machine, and it lives in the large space in Steph's bedroom. When she was home at Christmas, she diligently exercised upon it. When she returned to London, I am afraid I totally buried it under boxes and bags of various craft projects/school plans/holiday club materials etc. I keep things because they might be useful, because if someone gives me something, I like to feel that somehow, someday I will be able to re-purpose/recycle it.

And I have kept muttering "Must clear Steph's room properly before she comes home again!" - but not actually doing it.

Last week we were talking about exercise [or rather, our lack of it!] and Bob gently pointed out that we could perhaps try using the rowing machine. If only it were accessible!

So on Monday afternoon I set to work. Here it is, revealed again!

And I have bags of stuff which has been sorted, bags of rubbish and recycling and even a box of charity stuff.

But I have come to an important conclusion...

If I gave up teaching tomorrow**, and did 3 hours serious craftwork every day I would probably have enough crafty bits to keep me going for at least 10 years!

Dawna Walters of the 'Life Laundry' programme would have a heart attack if she saw all my hoarding.

**Actually, the prospect of giving up teaching -  and just sewing, cardmaking, knitting etc is very appealing [but financially impossible]

So I while I was reorganising all these bits and pieces, I have been assembling a collection of random craft stuff. As part of my Lenten Giveaway [explanation here] I am going to give away a load of craft materials.

It is a completely random selection, but if you sew or make cards or make toys, I think you may find some useful items.

If you would like this little hoard [part of Ang's Great Hoard of Craftiness, as opposed to Ang's Great Stash of Fabrics] then leave a comment on this post before midnight Sunday 21st, and I will choose a winner next Monday.

And I am going to deliver a large box of fabric to my friend Ann, who has been asked to contribute to the "Help for Heroes" Quilt Project. She has kindly decided to make her quilt in such a way as to involve the girls from our Sewing Club at Church.

So the GS of F is getting smaller too...[If you listen really hard you may just hear strains of the Hallelujah chorus as Bob realises that after all these years some of this stuff is going at last!!]

So leave a comment - and if you can, please mention the giveaway on your blog. Then if I get enough comments, I may even manage to donate a few more selections of goodies.