Marching on
today is the last day of Winter and I’m so happy to see it gone – we have had much better weather than most so I won’t complain
and finally I’ve been spending time in the garden
still stitching by the fire in the evenings
Abby asked for some casual clothes so she could go down to the woods with the bears – overalls like Gilbert’s, with a pocket
I’m learning how tricky and slow it is to make clothes for such a small girl
it took 3 days to make the overalls and another 3 for the tee shirt – careful, tiny stitches so the knit fabric wouldn’t fall apart
patterns came from my bear book –Classic Teddy Bear Designs – with a small adjustment they worked well – bears are a little more robust than Hittys!
the shirt was made from a split-toed sock, a gift in Japan, they were much too small for me and have languished in a drawer
and the embroidered cat on the toe was moved to the shirt
Gilbert and Abby are thrilled and kitty looks like he is popping out of the pocket
as there is an orphaned sock Little Bear is wondering if he can have a tee too
I haven’t had any fibre to spin since December – and that was the nasty wool – so I ordered silk hankies from Sanjo Silk
hankies aren’t the easiest silk to spin, made from the whole cocoon they are very strong, without all the little bits and pieces carded out
but I love spinning them
I pull an individual hankie and stretch it out into a pencil roving, wind it into a small ball and spin on the Turkish drop spindle
maybe Abby will get a knitted silk dress – it will take awhile
Scrap Happy March 2023
the bear’s book is finished
it’s a bear’s substitute for a cuddly teddy bear – soft and squishy
twelve pages counting the front and back cover
it was started when I needed to add stitching time to my 100 day challenge
but now it is finished and the challenge pages are only in the 54th day – what’s next?
it is stitched from some of the tiniest scraps in the basket
bears are good fishers- they especially like salmon
hearts and flowers are always welcome
the indigo dyed shibori scrap is an interesting shape – the wool felt just feels good
the trees are a sample from a Japanese dyeing workshop
and the quilted circle has French knots and shiny beads
Arthur likes the quote from When We Were Very Young by A.A.Milne
the felt for tiny Pooh bear is a scrap left from making Rosie
it took two scraps of ikat to make a big enough pocket
and because a pocket needs something in it a lightly stuffed, fishy bookmark seemed appropriate
as the gang all gathered to read they asked their fishy friends to join them
THE END
here are links to other happy scrappers
Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Tracy,
Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean (me), Jon, Dawn, Jule, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, Edith
Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2, Carol,
Preeti, Debbierose, Nóilin, Viv and Karrin
new challenges
Abby decided to learn to knit
using the tiny needles in her knitting basket and some very fine handspun 2 ply silk
we did manage to finish a scarf
but the human is not thinking small enough for Hittys yet – it will take some time!
and the scarf is bear size
so Abby happily traded with Gilbert and now they both have a more appropriate size
there is peace in the small people’s world (yes, I think of them all as people)
working steadily on the 100 day project
page 10 is finished and page 11 started — half way through the 100 days
yeh!!
I’m surprised that each page is so different while trying to use very small scraps and thrums for the basic stitches
it is time to start putting the pages together so it isn’t a long job when the stitching is finished
I’ve had a rather trying week – it was like falling down the rabbit hole
all my electronic systems stopped working – everything – internet, WiFi, no Ipad and even the T.V.
my service supplier doesn’t like to make house calls – they want to talk you through it on the telephone
finally, after 3 difficult phone calls, when the first two were disconnected, they booked an appointment for a technician to come check it out
fortunately he was a very capable, pleasant young man and got everything going again
in this new technical world you become completely cut off from the outside world
it made me think about what happens in an emergency – like when the often predicted BIG earthquake happens??
Abby has requested a pair of overalls like Gilberts – I’m off to see if I can get the sizing correct
cold and wet and windy
March arrived – cold, windy and with a few brief (thank goodness) snow showers
the bears are getting to know Abigail while Rosie reads “Hitty – her first hundred years” by Rachel Field
and we all keep warm by the fire
I knitted Abby a wool blanket which she is sharing with the littlest folk
and we have found her a tiny basket of wool and needles, whether she can learn to knit is another matter
many Hittys wear a necklace of coral beads, so we strung some tiny natural, Japanese pearls to make one for Abby
and of course Rosie wanted some jewels too
work on the bear’s book goes on
and signs of Spring are everywhere
the Happy Gang
warning – this is going to be long and picture heavy
we are here today to introduce you to a new member of the Happy Gang
our very own Hitty has come to join us
there she is in the corner of the drawer
it keeps her safe until we can find her her very own little chair
she wanted to sit with the bears but their chair is rather crowded
she arrived at the front door bundled up against the cold and the snow that was forecast
along with a jar of homemade marmalade and a beautiful Hitty sized quilt
it is only 6.5×7 inches – each square is 1 inch
if you click on the picture you will see the tiny stitches in the white blocks and the black chain stitch around the border
it is a treasure
but there is Hitty herself – she came with a suggested name – Abigail – and it suits her
she was carved by Kjerstin from the wood of a Japanese cherry tree that grew in the yard of author Joy Kogawa’s childhood home
this is Kjerstin’s story and you can read about here
https://quimperhitty.com/2022/07/06/abigail/ and here with all the history https://quimperhitty.com/2021/08/15/cherry-tree-naomi/ (this is a must read!!)
she came with her exquisite hand stitched wardrobe
look at those tiny button holes and the red knitted bodice, a warm flannel under skirt and lace trimmed pantaloons
I have her permission to show her wooden beauty marks
she was unexpected and the most astonishing surprise
welcome Abigail we can’t wait to see what fun we will have together
my heartfelt “thank you” to Kjerstin and all the Hittys for allowing her to come and live with us
now I am going to sit by the fire with the Happy Gang while Rosie reads them a story
what’s next?
it’s finished – cleaned, carded and handspun, natural dyed, woven and crocheted
even the dozens of ends are needle woven in
started on December 18th with the “nasty” wool and worked on every day since – I’m happy to see it finished
the center with a narrow crocheted border is the nasty stuff
three rows of squares outside the center are woven with small, leftover balls of handspun all natural dyed
wool, silk and some blends, even some mohair with loops and curls
dyed with madder
I was delighted to use these bits and pieces and get them out of the stash
it is finished with four rows of double crochet with even smaller balls of scrappy yarn
page 6 (the hearts) is finished and page 7 is started
and another page in the bears book is finished
with the blanket finished I’m struggling to decide on a new project – can’t just sit by the fire with nothing to do!
Scrap Happy February 2023
everything is scrappy this month
the hundred day challenge is 1/4 of the way finished
15 minutes for five days – each page is 1 hour, 15 minutes
this is page 5 – that’s 6 hours, 15 minutes of scrappy stitching so far
the main fabric is a heavy cotton drapery material left over from my interior designer days
trying something new to me, I backed it with a lightweight quilt batting and just back stitched on the pattern lines
it was slow going but I like the results
there is still more fabric but it is only 6inches wide – Rosie’s summer dress was made with it
now I’m wondering if it was joined with plain colour strips could I make a quilt for the bears?
but, back to the start of page 6
there’s that same fabric again – I’m determined to use it up
and of course, it’s Valentines day – the heart on the right is tiny scraps of shibori dyed wool felt stitched together
broken hearts can be mended but they are never the same!
I got the idea when making the hunny pot for the bears book (click on the picture below) more shibori dyed felt
I found stitching for only 15 minutes frustrating and not wanting to break the time rules continued stitching on another project – a small book for the bears is underway
the pages are 4″X4.5″ and the scraps are getting smaller and smaller
here is Kate’s list updated list of happy scrappers
Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Tracy,
Jill, Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean(me), Jon, Dawn, Jule, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, Edith
Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2, Carol,
Preeti, Debbierose, Nóilin, Viv and Karrin
Valentines wishes
Happy Valentine’s Day
the bears are working on some scrappy valentines
they wish you a very chocolate-y day
more scraps
I thought I had a serious scrap stash but this delightful lady in Japan really beats my collection
see what she does with her bits and pieces
using every scrap – not just textiles
the blanket is growing
working on the final, outside round which requires 44 squares
more scraps – now there are tiny scrappy balls of individual colours
28 squares finished with only 16 left to weave – I will be so happy to see this finished!
but there is still the stitching together and trimming all the ends
pages 3 (left) and 4 of the 100 day project are finished
and getting ready for page five
starry, starry night
inspired by the birch trees on the boulevard
the large square is a sample knitted with handspun Japanese paper (shifu)
the brown piece is Bryan’s realed/woven silk, dyed with kakishibu
all these pages are going to be very scrappy
and here is the little fabric book I’ve started – to continue stitching after the 15 minutes are up
it was a good idea and Rosie is happy
be sure to watch the video – it is calm and peaceful and happy – we all need a little of that
just do it!
six minutes of fun and inspiration
there is magic everywhere
give it a try – what do you have to lose? – six minutes…..
Rosie decided that hibernation was over – it’s February – Spring will be here soon!
we’ve been reading Winnie the Pooh
my problem with only 15 minutes stitching each day is I get started and then time is up
and so, I was inspired to stitch a little book for the bears – “The Urban Forest” – no time limits
first I made a scrap paper pattern which quickly became Rosie’s diary
and now for the fabric book
we are searching the internet for inspiration
if you haven’t already discovered the textile artist site it has something for everyone
https://www.textileartist.org/
enjoy
www.onesmallstitch.Wordpress.com 