Greetings fellow crafters,
This has been a very busy month. I guess with Easter and the school holidays, my students young and old, have been able to spend time working on their crafts. The weather in South Africa is also turning colder making knitting and crocheting all the more appealing.
Judy Benjamin completed her Stitchdoodles design of African birds, animals and plants. The composition of the design is lovely, the colours beautiful, and Judy has embroidered the little items so well. It really is a stunning gift for her grandson on the way.
Anne-marie Waterman completed what was originally intended as a needle case; designed as a beginners’ project to teach students various embroidery stitches. Instead, Anne-marie chose to ask Delene Wolfe-Coote to sew her project into a clutch bag, and the result is gorgeous! It will certainly be a showstopper; a talking point at any social event. Well done Anne-marie.
Narayani Mahale continues to amaze me with her creative ability. On her own, she followed patterns to crochet a red rose and Tunisian-crochet a lanyard. Outstanding!
Hazel Mackenzie and Dalene Smith both decided to embroider denim bags. They did a sterling job and the handbags are fantastic. They have embroidered the designs extremely well and these bags are going to be the envy of many women! Delene Wolfe-Coote sewed them up beautifully too.
Two young girls, Malaika Radebe (age 9) and Letlotlo Philhlela (age 10) came for a few crochet lessons during these school holidays. I am immensely impressed by their progress. From not being able to crochet at all, both girls have learned the basic crocheting stitches as well as produce granny squares and do the waffle and bobble stitches. Siphaphle Mhaga (also aged 9) has had a couple of lessons and she too is progressing well; also producing a beautiful granny square. It really encourages me that these youngsters are learning the craft. They are little stars!
Sue Theron has been embroidering a cushion cover for her sister. It has turned out extremely well. Sue’s handwork is excellent and the cushion looks magnificent. What an amazing gift.
I have spent the last five weeks crocheting a blanket. I was inspired by the blanket Sue Theron crocheted for her husband last year. Mine is also a gift. I was a little concerned how the nine colours would work together, but I am very pleased with how it has turned out. I am almost done with the border, and once I have given it to the recipient, I will share the pictures with all of you.
I give lessons in knitting, crocheting and hand embroidery at Kyalami are on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings and Tuesday afternoons. Lessons run every alternate week, except for the Thursday mornings; they are every week. I’d love you to join me so I can share my passion for crafts with you.
The stock at Threads of Joy is building up. If you are needing items, especially for your embroidery projects – from DMC and House of embroidery threads, to Roseworks Embroidery kits, to sewing needles, to embroidery hoops or scissors please give me a call. If I don’t have the items in stock, I will try my best to get them for you. Just call me before hand to arrange a suitable time to do your shopping.
Join me if you want to learn a new skill and meet some like-minded friends! Be inspired. Begin a new project. Bring a friend along too. Contact me if you are interested in crocheting, knitting or doing some hand embroidery. Remember, you are never too old or too young to learn something new!
Yours in craft, Lindsey
