High Tea and Beaded Milk Jug Covers

My sister-in-law had a Christmas Morning Tea at her church end of last year, then at the beginning of this year did a special afternoon tea, as one of our nieces made the big move from home, having been accepted in University in South Australia.

As a result of these special times I decided to have a High Tea (really means we'd be using all the special things for morning tea) at church for Mother’s Day. So began the fun of collecting an eclectic mix of the lovely bone china in florals, roses and pastel colours. Not only the cups, saucers and plates, but tiered cake stands, sandwich plates, teapots, sugar bowls and milk jugs. It was a lot of fun looking in any second-hand shops, with my mum helping to collecting in Perth with more second-hand shops closer by.  It was amazing how lovely and pretty everything looked in the "mix-and-match" collection.

The following are photo’s taken on the day, including a photo with my mum, sister and daughter.

 

I also enjoyed making some beaded milk jug covers. I had a friends daughter show me how to do this “bead netting” in pink and silver.

This next one using the coloured beads to make a flower at each intersection. The “flowers” have pink petals around a red, blue or gold centre, then two leaves on alternate sides. These are larger covers.

I made a number of smaller ones for the small milk jugs.

Gifts to Mwanza

I mentioned and showed previously the fabric bought in Mwanza and the table runners I made. One of the table runners I had made as a gift for Tammy, the American Missionary couple we stayed with. I also made gifts for some other ladies there, that have a place in my heart, along with Tammy.

I made these needlecases, embroidering their initial on the front.

Also a Japanese knot bag each. I used the pattern from Mirkwood Designs where you can make it with or without a base. I used the one without the base. Also in the past have used this pattern from littlegemsession.

Another gift for Tammy was this County Carry Bag in the Australian HOMEMADE 2005 Vol 22 No 2 magazine. Which I posted about on March 1st.

These are the photos I received from Tammy after they were happily received. I was glad they arrived safely as it took nearly a month to get to Tanzania from Australia.

Tammy's photo with the table runner on her table and the country carry bag hanging on a bag hook off the table.

Pretty Aprons

A "bachelor" cousin of my DH, collects craft books and magazines, when he sees them and saves them for me.  He was over recently and brought a huge plastic container full mostly of magazines.  I've had so much fun looking through them and picking out all sorts of small to medium projects to work on.

In one of them the Australian HOMEMADE Vol 25 No. 5 was this picture and pattern:

A lovely apron.  I've wanted to make one for a few years now.

So I've been busy sewing......

And now have these two pretty aprons.

I would love to find an old vintage apron pattern, one that isn't a strap around the neck but a nicer fit and finish at the back.  I saw Lucille Ball wearing a gorgeous one on "I Love Lucy" fabulous old black and white re-runs of comedy you can't beat.

Mwanza fabric and other projects

While in Mwanza, Tanzania in January, I was able to buy a few pieces of fabric. 

I decided to make a couple of table runners, using these fabrics plus bought a couple of "plainer" fabrics back here. The colours remind me of our time in the Serengeti National Park.  We where there when it was so lush and green, then the colours of the rocks, soil, river and animals - all distinctly imbedded in my memory.

The centre of the table runners were "fussy cut" from the centre fabric in the first photo. The fabric strip between the Mwanza fabrics isn't as golden as the photo makes it look.  It's a lovely earthy, slightly gold brown.

I've also had fun making a bag with "padded squares" that were then hand-sewn together.

The pattern was called "country carry bag" in the Australian HANDMADE magazine Vol 22 No 2 (2005).

A number of ladies have joined in a SAL with Chookyblue here on this blog:- Stitch-A-Long.  They are making smaller projects from a couple of books - "Tis The Season" and "Some Kind Of Wonderful". The project for January was a thread catcher.  I've had a nice shape plastic container, as seen here, for a long time as my thread catcher and for small fabric scraps. 

I decided to make a cover for it that can come off when I empty it.

Now it looks like this!!

Meeting important people

I've had the opportunity to meet a couple of our State politicans since I've been a chaplain.

Firstly, our state premier, Colin Barnett, over 18months ago at my first school.  He is very supportive of the role chaplains play within the school community, and spoke at the 40th anniversary of chaplaincy and CRE in schools within WA, last year.

Then a couple of weeks ago the Minister for Police and Road Safety, Liza Harvey.

I don't envy any politicians, the pressure on their time and the tight-rope they must walk as there is always somebody that isn't happy about any decision that is made.

To ride - camels or elephants

Just over a year ago, January 2012, we were travelling and enjoying places like Malta, Cyprus, Egypt, Petra in Jordan and Israel, plus other coutnries mentioned in an earlier post.

I got to experience camel rides in Cyprus, Sinia Peninsula along side the Red Sea and Cairo, at the Great Pyramids.

I got to experience an elephant ride at Mysore Palace in India in July 2012.  (Sorry about the quality of the photo, it was taken on a friends mobile phone, as cameras were not allowed in at Mysore Palace).  It's me in the pink, an Vinolia Lincoln next to me, the pastor's wife that Justine and I stayed with while Jim was away preaching in different places. 

My impressions?  I'd have a camel ride any day, a more elegant gait then the elephant, and to think elephant rides were the ride of the "kings" - sultanas in India's history.

I count it a privilege to do the travelling I have done with my wonderful husband, and to see the amazing places and people, God in His master plan, created.

Raggedy and Friends mini quilt

A couple of years ago I really liked Kaaren’s Raggedy and Friends quilt she had as a free BOM. Visit her blog and look down the right hand side to see the patterns are still available.


I stitched the embroideries and about that time we had a small group swap in our local patchwork group. I put my stitcheries into the bag and asked if they would add pieced blocks and fabric around the stitcheries. When we swapped the bag each month we met at a local café and usually my daughter was with me. As a result she got to know the ladies and therefore the story of the quilt of how it was added and sewn too. She really liked the quilt, so I decided I would give it to her.

However, as is often the case with a UFO, it sat in the cupboard until December last year when I got it out to sandwich it and quilt, yes that’s all that needed doing!!! I gave it to her for her birthday which is two days after Christmas. It is now proudly hanging on her wall.

Raggedy Ann means something to my daughther.  When we went to pick her up in the Philippines the gifts we took her not only included a soft toy kangaroo, but pencils, paper and a Raggedy Ann colouring-in book and other itens. She remembers that very distinctly that colouring-in book and the pictures in the book.

It is interesting to read up the story behind Ann and Andy.

 

Months have turn into over a year!!!

A number of blogs I keep up with have had "time off" for a while.  Life's happenings happen...and before you know it, time has flown.

Since I last posted we had two months away travelling across the world - USA, London, Paris, Malta, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Petra and the Philippines.  Christmas 2011 was spent in the US and we celebrated our daughter's 13th birthday at Disney World, Florida. 

July 2012 spent two weeks in India.  While my husband was preaching and teaching at Pastors and Deacons meetings and in villages, my daughter and I experienced true village life in Kotagiri.  Walked the streets with hundreds of people, animals and vehicles!!!  Spent time in the home of many and prayed with and for many, including police on duty at a tourist destination.

October 2012 my husband and son went to Fiji for two weeks. Us "girls" stayed home this time.  Upshot of the Fiji trip is that our son has met a lovely Christian girl, and they have kept in contact since.

January 2013 already had three weeks in Mwanza, Tanzania. Again ministry amongst the pastors, deacons, leaders and their wives, plus children's ministry.  All very rewarding and a great blessing. We also had two days in the Serengeti National Park, experiencing all the wonderful native African animals up close.  Including many lions and cubs, elephants walking around the vehicle, giraffes, buffalo, leopard and her cub in a tree and much more.

In amongst it all, I worked full-time as a chaplain in three schools. Then the normal home duties and local church ministry.  I didn't get a lot of crafting done, which I really felt, as it is definitely my way of relaxing and having quiet time to think, plan and be in a state of contentment.

So this year? I have finished working as chaplain in the first school I started at, which will save me a lot of travel time. I'll be working three days a week in my own town instead.  Hopefully from this I can get some crafting time again.  I need to get back into my "Dear Jane" quilt and a few other things like that.