Friday, June 21

lost donkey..


two things are filling my thoughts as i tap away this morning, one is the happiness of actually having a small stitchery finished and ready for its spot in my little shop, and the dying art of using our hands and fingers to craft..

when i say hands and fingers i mean crafting without any gadgets and machinery, using just tiny bits of this and that, a thought or two or three and some nimble stitching... by hand

for me making is not about sharp precision machine cut shapes, i will never own such a machine, it is not about buying already manufactured things and gluing them on to card and declaring them handmade...
i will never be a great dressmaker or patchwork quilt maker..

now. before any makers out there who do use these tools worry that i am saying unkind things, i am not judging or criticising for i feel blessed that we are in a time when there are so many craft options open to everyone, i am just stating that they are absolutely not for me...

i admit i am a fickle maker, i have an extreme amount of unfinished projects, i flit from one thing to another never really settling but i always have one thing that calms me, that i turn to even when i am at my most pooped and brain dead..

hand stitching



i am about to embark on an exciting journey which i will no doubt bore you all with such is my excitement as it takes shape, and part of  it involves sewing machines..
this is all well and good but it also made me think of those that simply cannot afford a machine, i myself only have the cheapest most clunky clanky machine that was actually gifted to me from a kindly family member and without it i would be up the Swanee as i do dabble in a little wholesale makery for the wonderful www.peonyandsage.com .. i simply do not have the spare funds for an upgrade..

so, with my love of hand stitching i thought that along with my wonderful pal who is the most amazing seamstress and is honestly my walking talking stitching bible and most generous teacher i may be able to offer some wise and kindly words about hand stitchery..

for sometimes in life we have to accept that we cannot have all that we would like, that for some of us gadgets and gizmo's cannot fill our homes when their are bills to be paid and food to be prepared but we should not for one second feel as if we cannot create something wonderful...

crafting and making should be for all and as i watch as folk lust, need, grab the very latest this and that i shall pottle on with my tiny stitches in the hope that they may make at least a few crafty souls take note..

crafting should not be about how much money you have
it should be about your thoughts, ideas, creativity..

and it should above all else make you happy..

just like stitching this little lost donkey made me..


our tiny but jolly important animal charity is in the process of rescuing two donkeys so they have been flitting through my mind a lot..
i find that the animals that fill my days, my thoughts, often appear at night on scraps of fabric..

this little one has many happy tiny hand stitches upon it and has also had a bit of time under my clunky clanky sewing machine, but it could have been done entirely by hand..
i just needed to finish something..
needed to pop something new on my shop shelf..
with the lovely green green grass growing in our fields our feed bill is currently not so scary so goat fencing is now top of the charity list..
high. very high fencing is needed so that we can let our rescue goats out unsupervised, all day rather than the current situation of them only being allowed out when they have a watchful eye on them..
i simply cannot be seen by the forest rangers frantically racing to get the escapees back within our fields whilst wearing pj's and no bra..
it is not good for me and i fear a nasty eyeful for them :)

** lost donkey will be bumbling over to my shop window later on today**


7 comments:

  1. I just love your work :)some day i will by a donkey from you :) unfortunatly now i´m passing a bad time but it will be better :)
    Big hugs
    Wish you all the best
    Rain

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  2. oh i do love ya,.... and lost donkey because you put into words how i am feeling just now....my sewing machine is adopted too and didn't come with a manaul, to be honest we have had our ups and downs and at times my tension has been all wrong...but now after a fair few years we understand one another..i would be lost with one of those computerised ones. I love hand stitching so much and like you it is a comfort when life is fraying at the edges.
    I LOVE lost donkey you are very clever and i am so excited about your new exciting venture, and wish you loads of luck.... and still have my fingers crossed for the donkeys xx

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  3. P.s greeted gas man with pjs and no bra this morning forgot they were coming to turn the gas off ...poor man x

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  4. Beautiful post and very excited for the future project!x

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  5. I think it is so true that crafting is about thoughts, ideas and creativity not about the latest kit. It is v definitely just about what makes you happy. It is so easy to forget the simple things. I frequently beat myself up for only making the simplest knitted and crocheted things but, you know what, that is what makes me happy so that's just fine. ;-)

    I think your donkey is perfect and so special. Can't wait to meet your new donkeys too. Love the idea of having a little wonky donkey in my back garden to eat the grass ;-)

    P.S Maude sends her love. She has currently taken up residence on the arm of the chair in the conservatory where I sit and craft of an evening :-)

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  6. this rings so many bells. we have a donkey - and other animal sanctuary in Crete Greece, and I spend the time when I am not with the animals, crafting to sell to fundraise for hay etch - would like to meet you!

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