Feather Your Nest Follow Up....
In my last post I told you about the 'Feather Your Nest' competition over at Stumbles & Stitches. Wow! That was *so* much fun! And I stand corrected: there were 73 entries (not 72 as previously reported - oopsie). There was such a flurry of entries, deadlines, voting, narrowing down the field, voting again, prizes, categories of winners.... a girl can get confused!! I nearly missed the fact that my Falling Leaves Pillow was voted one of the top ten favorites by some pretty impressive judges! Thank you, dear judges for the recognition!
Forgive me if I've mentioned this before, but I've been up to my eyebrows in felty wool felt (an nuthin' BUT felty wool felt) for over three years now, and have not taken the time to do much stitching. It seems as though the universe is calling out to me to change my ways and come up out of the felt mines once in a while and enjoy the pleasures of my sewing room once again. I remember once upon a time when I was actually designing patterns... hmmm.....
Showing posts with label diy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diy. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Festival of Broken Needles
I'm so intrigued and enchanted by the rituals of cultures older than mine. The USA is such a young country in comparison to most of the world. Here in this country we are, in some ways, lucky to have access to so much and yet that leads to taking so much for granted.
I was so very moved when I recently discovered the Festival of Broken Needles, held every February 8 in Japan. I'm thinking that it was a good thing that I discovered this custom a few days after it was celebrated this year because I can now thoughtfully prepare for next year's ceremony.
The Festival of Broken Needles, also known as Hari-Kuyo is an annual ceremony held at Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples for sewists, tailors and kimono makers. Their worn and broken pins and needles, saved throughout the year, are laid to rest, thanked and honored for their faithful service.
I love that the value of small, inanimate objects is recognized and appreciated. The concept that serviceable tools not be lost, wasted or carelessly replaced appeals to me. In researching this post, I read about a woman's Grandmother who always had a needle woven into the fabric of her dress, ready to be called into service. Every day. And the Grandmother had only one needle. Imagine her connection with that needle, and the care she had to take so that the needle wasn't lost. That kind of connection is worthy of ceremony when it's days are done, don't you agree?
Another aspect of the Needle Mass is the recognition that women have 'secret sorrows' which are reflected upon during the many hours spent stitching and that those sorrows are passed on to the needle which helps to bear the burden. To show such reverence for a seemingly simple tool is, in the act of this ceremony, a living prayer. In fact, the women who participate in this requiem ceremony pray that their sewing skills will improve in the coming year.
To honor her own needles, Susan Elliott of PlaysWithNeedles designed this gorgeous needlebook and e-class. The class has already begun and, sadly, it's too late to join in, but maybe Susan will offer another...I can hope, right?
And I have to say that I'm quite thrilled that Susan chose FeltOnTheFly wool felt for her beautiful needlebook. I had no clue when she ordered the wool felt that she was working on such a meaningful project. If it hadn't been for Susan sending me a link to her blog post showing the needlebook, I may have never learned about Hari-Kuyo. Thank you, Susan! You can see Susan's personal needle ceremony right here.
So now that I know about this 400-year-old Festival of Broken Needles, and since I have vowed to make more time for stitching this year, I will need to create something special; some soft place in which to rest my broken and bent needles and pins so that I may properly and thoughtfully say goodbye to them on February 8, 2013. I don't plan to travel to Japan for the official ceremony, but I'll come up with something right here in the USA...
Beautiful in it's simplicity, I hope you'll take a few minutes to scroll through this booklet:
http://issuu.com/audsomee/docs/hari-kuyo?mode=embed&layout=http://skin.issuu.com/v/light/layout.xml&showFlipBtn=true
I was so very moved when I recently discovered the Festival of Broken Needles, held every February 8 in Japan. I'm thinking that it was a good thing that I discovered this custom a few days after it was celebrated this year because I can now thoughtfully prepare for next year's ceremony.
The Festival of Broken Needles, also known as Hari-Kuyo is an annual ceremony held at Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples for sewists, tailors and kimono makers. Their worn and broken pins and needles, saved throughout the year, are laid to rest, thanked and honored for their faithful service.
I love that the value of small, inanimate objects is recognized and appreciated. The concept that serviceable tools not be lost, wasted or carelessly replaced appeals to me. In researching this post, I read about a woman's Grandmother who always had a needle woven into the fabric of her dress, ready to be called into service. Every day. And the Grandmother had only one needle. Imagine her connection with that needle, and the care she had to take so that the needle wasn't lost. That kind of connection is worthy of ceremony when it's days are done, don't you agree?
Another aspect of the Needle Mass is the recognition that women have 'secret sorrows' which are reflected upon during the many hours spent stitching and that those sorrows are passed on to the needle which helps to bear the burden. To show such reverence for a seemingly simple tool is, in the act of this ceremony, a living prayer. In fact, the women who participate in this requiem ceremony pray that their sewing skills will improve in the coming year.
To honor her own needles, Susan Elliott of PlaysWithNeedles designed this gorgeous needlebook and e-class. The class has already begun and, sadly, it's too late to join in, but maybe Susan will offer another...I can hope, right?
And I have to say that I'm quite thrilled that Susan chose FeltOnTheFly wool felt for her beautiful needlebook. I had no clue when she ordered the wool felt that she was working on such a meaningful project. If it hadn't been for Susan sending me a link to her blog post showing the needlebook, I may have never learned about Hari-Kuyo. Thank you, Susan! You can see Susan's personal needle ceremony right here.
So now that I know about this 400-year-old Festival of Broken Needles, and since I have vowed to make more time for stitching this year, I will need to create something special; some soft place in which to rest my broken and bent needles and pins so that I may properly and thoughtfully say goodbye to them on February 8, 2013. I don't plan to travel to Japan for the official ceremony, but I'll come up with something right here in the USA...
Beautiful in it's simplicity, I hope you'll take a few minutes to scroll through this booklet:
http://issuu.com/audsomee/docs/hari-kuyo?mode=embed&layout=http://skin.issuu.com/v/light/layout.xml&showFlipBtn=true
Monday, November 28, 2011
'Tis the Season... Wherever You Go
"Wherever you go, whenever you can....Leave a gift."
I came across that sweet little sentiment a long time ago and I've never forgotten it. Days get busy and I don't always find the time to be extra thoughtful, but considering the season, it's only natural to be in gift-giving mode. Here in Michigan, winter is now here. We've already had snow flurries and the air is clear and chilly; the night sky filled with stars...
Stars have been a special symbol for me since my son was born (nearly eighteen years ago!!) and in the spirit of giving, I'm offering a set of five die cut wool felt stars with every order in my Etsy shop. Just mention 'Felty Twinkles' in 'Notes to Seller' upon check-out and a little gift of stars will be yours.
The stars measure 1 3/4" from tip to tip. I know you'll think of a bazillion ways to use them...scatter them on your table, attach to ribbon for a garland, adorn a tree, use as a little gift tag, stitch onto a project...stitch two together and lightly stuff...tuck one in a loved one's pocket for luck....and of course, you could always use them to wish upon...
I came across that sweet little sentiment a long time ago and I've never forgotten it. Days get busy and I don't always find the time to be extra thoughtful, but considering the season, it's only natural to be in gift-giving mode. Here in Michigan, winter is now here. We've already had snow flurries and the air is clear and chilly; the night sky filled with stars...
Stars have been a special symbol for me since my son was born (nearly eighteen years ago!!) and in the spirit of giving, I'm offering a set of five die cut wool felt stars with every order in my Etsy shop. Just mention 'Felty Twinkles' in 'Notes to Seller' upon check-out and a little gift of stars will be yours.
The stars measure 1 3/4" from tip to tip. I know you'll think of a bazillion ways to use them...scatter them on your table, attach to ribbon for a garland, adorn a tree, use as a little gift tag, stitch onto a project...stitch two together and lightly stuff...tuck one in a loved one's pocket for luck....and of course, you could always use them to wish upon...
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wool Felt Peter Pan Collar Tutorial
Well, hello you dusty little blog, you! *swipes at cobwebs*
And so we meet again...at long last. It's not that I don't think of you. In fact, truth be told, you haunt me. What? So why don't I post more often you ask? Well, there are a hundred perfectly good reasons.
K. Now that we've got that all settled....
Hey! This was soooo cool! Thanks to Etsy's new little Shop Stats toy, I noticed recently that I had lots of views on a particular listing in my shop. So I scrolled around in the Stats and noticed in Top Traffic Sources a blog I'd never seen before: "Honestly....WTF". Really. I didn't make that up. Here's their link: http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-peter-pan-collar/
Upon further investigation I discovered the ladies at Honestly...WTF put together a tutorial to make a cute Peter Pan collar and linked to my shop for felt supplies. Who knew that a Peter Pan Collar could be so cute the second time around?? Well, when a fashion powerhouse like Louis Vuitton decides that, yes indeedy, Peter Pan Collars are most definitely fashion-forward, trendy and worthy of runway status, you can bet your bellbottomed bippy that those collars are indeed the latest 'must have' accessory.
The tutorial was put together for an article for Lucky Magazine. Man oh man, these chicks are *connected* and I'm so happy they linked to my humble little shop....
So scoot on over to Honestly...WTF, (http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-peter-pan-collar/) download the template and get started on your super-simple-Louis-Vuitton-Wanna-Be-Wool-Felt-Peter-Pan-Collar. Hey....now that I'm thinkin about it, why the heck didn't Louis come to me for felt??? Hmmmm??? Louis? Are you listening? My felt is the feltiest wool felt, truly environmentally friendly, soft to the touch, gloriously gorgeous and a joy to behold. I realize you made yours out of who-knows-what, but next time Louis, how about thinkin outside the boring old linen or cotton box and come try FeltOnTheFly 100% pure merino wool felt. Just sayin'.
And for the rest of you, imagine this sweet collar made in any of the 96 colors in my shop. Personally, I'm thinkin' Camel... Maybe this would be the perfect gift for the girlfriend who has everything.... your grandma.... or, why not, even for a pampered pooch. And for sure, anyone who carries a Louis Vuitton bag.... or reads Lucky Magazine...
; )
And so we meet again...at long last. It's not that I don't think of you. In fact, truth be told, you haunt me. What? So why don't I post more often you ask? Well, there are a hundred perfectly good reasons.
K. Now that we've got that all settled....
Hey! This was soooo cool! Thanks to Etsy's new little Shop Stats toy, I noticed recently that I had lots of views on a particular listing in my shop. So I scrolled around in the Stats and noticed in Top Traffic Sources a blog I'd never seen before: "Honestly....WTF". Really. I didn't make that up. Here's their link: http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-peter-pan-collar/
Upon further investigation I discovered the ladies at Honestly...WTF put together a tutorial to make a cute Peter Pan collar and linked to my shop for felt supplies. Who knew that a Peter Pan Collar could be so cute the second time around?? Well, when a fashion powerhouse like Louis Vuitton decides that, yes indeedy, Peter Pan Collars are most definitely fashion-forward, trendy and worthy of runway status, you can bet your bellbottomed bippy that those collars are indeed the latest 'must have' accessory.
So scoot on over to Honestly...WTF, (http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-peter-pan-collar/) download the template and get started on your super-simple-Louis-Vuitton-Wanna-Be-Wool-Felt-Peter-Pan-Collar. Hey....now that I'm thinkin about it, why the heck didn't Louis come to me for felt??? Hmmmm??? Louis? Are you listening? My felt is the feltiest wool felt, truly environmentally friendly, soft to the touch, gloriously gorgeous and a joy to behold. I realize you made yours out of who-knows-what, but next time Louis, how about thinkin outside the boring old linen or cotton box and come try FeltOnTheFly 100% pure merino wool felt. Just sayin'.
And for the rest of you, imagine this sweet collar made in any of the 96 colors in my shop. Personally, I'm thinkin' Camel... Maybe this would be the perfect gift for the girlfriend who has everything.... your grandma.... or, why not, even for a pampered pooch. And for sure, anyone who carries a Louis Vuitton bag.... or reads Lucky Magazine...
; )
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