And Sew to travel

Our recent overseas trip was just over 6 weeks in duration. I didn't have time to organise myself a hand sewing project to travel with. The time leading up to our departure was taken up with sewing items and getting organised for my stall at Comic Con which was immediately after our return. I'd posted a status on my FB page stating the number of projects I had completed and was promptly bombarded with requests to see the items. I was delighted to oblige although it necessitated the photographing of all the items and loading them up on facebook. That was followed by a flurry of orders from my friends (and their friends) for various things which I then had to package up and send off all over the country.

That's a long story to say..... no hand projects. I was content though. I had a project to do on my computer - (well my husband's computer since I didn't take mine) - sorting and labelling a bunch of photos that I had scanned from my mother's negatives. That would entertain me sufficiently I felt on the long flights we were undertaking. 

So I had resigned myself to 7 weeks of not sewing at all. 

However - that was not QUITE the way it turned out. Our first stopover on our trip was with our Japanese host son Sho and his wife Yuri (and our beautiful host granddaughter Suzu). 

In the corner of their living room I saw a treadle sewing machine. 

Yuri's treadle machine. It was a Janome. I have never seen a treadle Janome before. Usually the machine was  kept packed away because of their 2 cats whom they felt might damage it.

Yuri had bought it second hand because it was such a beautiful piece of furniture. She had sewn a couple of things but during our stay asked me to help her sew something for Suzu. A dress perhaps she suggested. Now I am not much of a garment sewer and wasn't sure that we would be able to manage it in the time we had available but was game to have a go. However Yuri saw the photos of bandana bibs that I had made for stalls and we decided to have a go at those. 

I love those bandana bibs. They are simple and affective and quick to sew. In about half and hour we managed to print the pattern, cut out the fabric and sew them up. 

Yuri did the machine sewing and the ironing and I did the hand stitching - sewing on the press studs and sewing closed the opening left to reverse the bibs. 

It was perfect and so much fun to sew with her. The memory still makes my heart sing.

And of course the model was extra beautiful!

A few weeks later we were in Norway, visiting the home of our host son J and his brand new wife (we had attended the wedding just days before) M had a sewing machine but it wasn't sewing properly. She had hand sewn her wedding gift (called a Morning Gift in Norway) for J as her machine wasn't working. 

J is wearing the apron that M had hand sewn for him as a Morning Gift.

 Fixit Guy had a look at the machine.

 It was all siezed up. A trip into the city to buy machine oil and he had it running again. I then had to take over. It wasn't sewing properly but after I found that the machine needle was in backwards all was good. 

It had gotten too late to do any sewing by the time we had the machine operating properly but since our return home I have been sent a photo of M using the machine and the message that it is working beautifully.

Back again

Hello! And I am back! Its been a while hasn't it! Since I last wrote we have been overseas for 6 weeks. I had planned to write whilst away but I didn't take my computer with me and decided it was too hard to write on my ipad (which I took with me specifically to write blog posts) so that was pretty slack of me but I am in truth rather unapologetic.

We had a brilliant time overseas. I outlined our travel plans in a previous blog post here and I can now tell you that our plans worked out perfectly and we had an absolute blast. We got to meet our Japanese host son's wife for the first time and also our beautiful granddaughter. 

Our barge boat cruise in the Czech Republic was so much fun. We made some good friends and really enjoyed the daily cycling. I managed all the rides without any problems.. well I did walk up a couple of hills but so did a lot of people. Mostly the ride was alongside the river and was pretty flat so easy riding. I did pike on 2 rides. One was on our rest day. 

There was an optional 50km ride (25km out and back) but I took the opportunity to explore the town of Litomerice that we were moored beside. Fixit Guy rode it. We had done a 10km ride in the morning, into and around a nearby town of Terezin, so I wasn't completely slack. The other ride I didn't do was the last ride back into Prague. It was raining and forcast to rain more. I chose to stay on the boat but Fixit Guy and one of our new friends braved it. They got thoroughly soaked so I felt justified in not riding.

We had a lovely time in Germany with our host daughter from 2006 and her family and then had a weekend in Amsterdam en route to Norway. 

The reason for our trip was to attend the wedding in Norway of our host son from 2005 and that was a wonderful experience. We spent a week with him and his family and fully immersed ourselves in the whole event which was just wonderful.

The final leg of our trip was 12 days in the UK, mostly spent exploring Scotland. We were able to catch up with some of FG's extended family ( An aunt and cousins on his dad's side). 

Whilst we were in Scotland we got the news that our Japanese grandson was born. I couldn't resist this treasure from the Edinburgh Castle gift shop

After almost 7 weeks of travelling we arrived back in Australia. Tired but thoroughly delighted by our wonderful time. I have lots more photos and experiences to share but for now.. this will have to do it.

WIP Wednesday

I haven't posted in WIP Wednesday for almost a month. I have been travelling and not sewing or crafting too much plus this blasted fatigue has been hanging around for a bit too which is sapping my energy and making me disinclined to actually do much.

However the news I got yesterday has revived a little - or at least inspired me to push through the exhaustion on a crafting front at least. 

In 2004 we hosted a lovely young man from Japan for 11 months through the exchange program AFS. Sho became our son and called us Mum and Dad and we loved him dearly. 

Taken in December 2004 shortly before his departure. I think Doug and Sho are the ones who have changed the least.

He has visited us once here in Australia with his parents and siblings and we have travelled to Japan to see him and his family twice in the intervening 12 years. Last year he was married. We didn't attend the wedding but did enjoy the photos we saw of the event. 

Yesterday we got a letter from him containing some photos, not only of their wedding but of their daughter who was born in June. 

The baby is absolutely gorgeous and is our first grandchild - not by blood but by love. He mentioned in the letter he wrote he was worried about seeing us again because not only has he forgotten much of the English he learned but also because he was worried we would have changed. I think the biggest reason he has to fear seeing me again is that he didn't tell me about his baby till she was 2 months old!

So of course I now need to make a special quilt for this darling little girl. But before I start it I need to complete several of the projects that I have piled up waiting my attention. 

Yesterday afternoon I sat down at my machine and quilted a baby quilt that I had pinned waiting for my attention for several weeks. I got the label and binding done and dropped it off to the recipient this morning. 

She was asleep but her mum and brother were on the spot and the big brother was very taken by it. It was great to have a finish again. Its been a few weeks since I had completed anything

And then this afternoon I put "My Cat Likes to Hide In Boxes" under the needle. Not sure how I am going to quilt it but for the moment I am stitching down the middle of the sashing and will have a look and a think when that part is done.

Apart from finishing off that project the only other craft work I have done since I last updated my WIPs has been crocheting. I have completed 9 hanging kitchen towels for Handmade With Love. It might have been more than that... I lost count. I prefer the long hand towel ones but they are too big for many people (and just not what they are used to) and so the ones made from tea towels cut in half are much better sellers. 

The first ones I completed were tea towels supplied to me. They were a bit thin for my liking although at least they were white backgrounds. 

The last four were made from hand towels I bought and cut in half. So they are the size people like but the material is thicker and more absorbent and NOT flowers on a white background. Those ones get so discoloured so quickly. I have already sold them... to my sister who had told me that they were the only things she was likely to buy from a handcraft stall. So I made them and she bought them. Well done me (and Beth). I posted the 4 off to Beth and gave the others to our stall co-ordinator before photographing them.

The other little finish I have had is a size 2 top for Handmade With Love. Some one had made the leggings and we decided that a top with it would make it more saleable. I haven't sewn clothes for a long time and not ones from a non-stretch fabric since high school. My friend Lindi helped me cut it out and I managed to get it together. Its not perfect but hopefully the cute factor will persuade someone to buy it.

Hope your week is being productive too. Let me know what you have been doing or link up on Esther's  blog too

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