Happy International Womens Day!

March 8th is International Womens Day, and though I received this card in respect of another celebration - my recent birthday - it still seems appropriate. I loved the image so much I've been attempting to recreate it in needlepoint. This is my first practice attempt.

It's clumsy and I haven't got the bonnet right, so I'm part way through stitching another version which'll hopefully turn out better. This idea is to send it to the friend who sent me the card, as a Thank You.

I haven't been watching the TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, but I remember when I first read the book, and it's impact. How disturbing this dystopian vision of a future society is.

At the moment I'm reading Elizabeth Kostova's 'The Shadow Land' which is proving extremely good. It's one of those books I picked up in a charity shop, and has sat on my To-Be-Read pile for ages. So far, the central character Alexandra has arrived in Bulgaria to take up teaching there. She's managed, due to a mix up, to pick up another passenger's luggage, inside of which are someone's ashes from a cremation. The chapters alternate, going back to Alexandra's childhood in Virginia and her brother going missing while out hiking. It's beautifully written, and it's interesting to have the novel set in Bulgaria as it's a country I know nothing about.

That's all for now. I'm not moving off the sofa tonight. We've had a few, sparse snowfalls today, but it should be much colder and snowier tomorrow. Ideal weather for staying indoors and crafting, huh?

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Sari scraps, PVA, a couple of books and a necklace

I'm typing this as snow's falling, and has been steadily all day. It's not settling to any great extent, though I bet by tomorrow morning the paths will be slippery with ice. Which always makes me paranoid about falling over and at the very least looking undignified, but at worst breaking a bone or twisting an ankle. Oh well, it's ideal weather to stay inside and craft, isn't it? I finally got around to listing packs of sari scraps on Etsy this morning. I only made up six bundles as I've no clue whether they'll sell or if I've set a reasonable enough price point. Time will tell. This is a link to the listing, if you're interested. This vaguely pink fabric isn't from one of my Etsy packs. It's from a bit of experimenting I was doing yesterday. I'd seen a post on Instagram showing how a DIY version of batik could be done without using hot wax. The Instagrammer used PVA instead, and I wanted to try this out....

In praise of wool

Just a quick post today. I'm offering you a short but peaceful break from the overwhelmingness (is that a word?) of Christmas. By now you've probably eaten your bodyweight in sweets//roast potatoes/pigs in blankets/cake/After Eights ... whatever your festive indulgences are. You're under-exericsed, over-stimulated, feeling broke and possibly guilty about an argument with a relative or friend you've never entirely got on with. So, here's something to take your mind off all that. I've two videos to refresh and revive, and they both concern wool. Interesting fact. Well, I found it interesting. About 1% - yup, one per cent - of the world's textiles are made of wool. Out of curiosity, I also googled how much is made of cotton. That's higher, but it's only about 24% and that's heading downward instead of up. Synthetic fibres are the bulk of all textile manufacture. Anyway, back to woolly wonders. My firs...

HOW TO MAKE: these decorative birds

I suggested yesterday that I'd run through how to make a fabric bird wall or window hanging (can't think of a snappier title for it than that!) so here goes. I'll start with the first decorative hanging I made. It's something you could make in any colour combination you want, and would look good hanging at a window with translucent beads that'd catch the light I used five birds for this, but you could make it longer if you prefer. (Incidentally, if you're wondering about what's hanging off the bottom on this, it's a metal Christmas decoration, shaped like a lantern. For some reason I thought it looked appropriate to leave it there, looped over the end.) WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO GATHER TOGETHER: Assorted scraps of fabric for the front of the birds - aim for a mix of colours and textures. Silk looks good, as does anything with embroidery or intricate patterns. You might aim for a hippy-ish boho look, or maybe you're ...

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