Confessions of an addict

So this is a stash, spread out on a bed. How will I be able to justify this on judgement day? I know what to say: This material is no longer produced in Europe. Crewel embroidery is dead on the continent. I had to salvage what I need.
I bought these boxes at about 0.35 $ per skein online. I bought larger stashes for almost no money, because the embroiderers gave up using it or passed away. I sort them out, collect them in groups of reds, greens, blues. I separate bundles. Just got a parcel with wonderful new and used wool skeins. Danish wool. Love it!
And I tell you: never make bundles by tying them together with rubber strings. Never ever. The leftovers after 10 or 20 years are just icky.

Seduced by color... Mea culpa, mea culpa

Not so long ago, I made a pledge to use worn, given, second hand and inherited cloth. But then...
I had the intention to do some appliqué leaves between the birds. I find it very laborious to do appliqué, and I admire the patience that is manifested in Barbara's "Trellis". But I wanted to turn the middle of this piece into a joyful natural surrounding where the birds can play. The background, even quilted, doesn't look joyful enough to me. The flying birds need some more of these "Tibetan" clouds from Indonesia. This is why I surrendered and, with a tragical tremble in my voice, said to myself: "You have to get these fabrics". I broke my pledge. Hit me.
The Bird Quilt top is almost finished. No more large gaps, only small strips to be finished. It is large enough to allow a nap together with J on the sofa, both covered up. Now I'll cut this Turkish bedcover apart and give the quilt a one-cloth backing and a binding.
The boxes on the edge are houses, limitation of natural space, as I experience them, but also refuge and the way to survive winter in this latitude. They limit the bird's environment. Some get used to it like blackbirds or the heron who kept standing silently at his pond, when we walked by on Sunday.

Too difficult

This is the stash for my Bauhaus project. And yes, the dark grey jacket is part of it. There are a few moth holes in it, and we asked how much it would be to do invisible mending. It is half the price for a new suit.
But I find it so scaring to cut into it!
The rust red stuff is an old summer blouse of mine. The sewing is just out of this world. So bad. Just can't look at it. I did it 20 years ago.
Then there are two of J's shirts. Normal quilting cloth is a lot stronger than these fabrics. But I want to do a korak technique in which the pieces are laid double, so a thinner quality is better.
J had an interview in a very friendly atmospere, they want him, but cannot really offer him the right job at the moment. You know we don't have this hire-and-fire system, and that's good. But they want to give him something else instead which would mean: 1. unknown functional area, 2. more responsibility, 3. less money. I don't care about 3, but 1+2 make him scared. He told them, true to the facts, that he doesn't feel competent on this field, and they thanked him for his honesty.
They will call. We'll see what happens.

Ironing ahead / Pin Cushions finished

Last week when we went to see J's parents, I asked my m-i-l if she has leftovers from her sewing. She used to do a lot of doll clothes, also custom-made, and clothes to wear. Yes, there were things she wanted to get rid off, and we looked through her stash. Things she wanted to keep were exactly those I was not keen on, and vice versa. So she kept all the pastel flowers, and I got the powerful colours. Happy!


But first, I will cut these cuties apart and sew 3 biscornus for my friend who ordered them.

They will be a giveaway for her colleagues in the museums she works for.

Now the flat squares shall be turned into 3D objects. I start sewing a corner of square A to a midpoint of square B. This means that the next corner of square B will end up at the next midpoint of A. In this way they will alternate until the object will be almost closed. Then I stuff it -- wool is better than batting, because batting blocks the needles when pushed in. Then I pull a thread from the middle of the front side right through the filling to the back and fix it with beads; also small buttons are fine for the purpose. There is no copyright on the patterns, I constructed them after Estonian folk motives, so please feel free to copy them if you like.

A parcel!

Wonderful stash inside. Guess who sent it. And a letter E. This is so fine with tiny stitches! I never thought it would be so miniature when I just knew photos. Is there something I can give in return? But what? Carry coals to Newcastle... Yes, there is something: A leather thimble or two. One of them might fit. Will be on the way on Monday!