This is a job I've been too frightened to tackle. Sewing all the pebbles together. The pebbles took a fair amount of time to make, but I did finish them a while ago and put them in a glass bowl somewhere I pass all the time, so that I could get comfortable with them and take some of the worry away. The truth is that I was anxious the finished article would fall short of what I hoped to achieve and that it wouldn't be 'special' enough. But yesterday I decided I just had to take the plunge - after all, this was meant to be part of a wedding present for my godson and his wife. They were married at Christmas .... The anxiety had been heightened because I had tried to make them a felt table-runner and was disappointed with it, fiddled about with it and made matters worse. In the end I chopped it up and made a cushion cover out of it and it looks quite nice. It was just never meant to be a table runner!
I'm sure my lack of confidence is exacerbated because I'm largely self-taught and work in isolation. I have a wonderful friend nearby (Anne) who is herself an extremely talented needlewoman, who can always be relied on to boost my ego. But I have begun to think she completely lacks discrimination and that her word is not to be relied upon, because she professes to love everything I do. Oh, everyone needs a friend like Anne!
So yesterday, with the sun filling the sky, the third lot of washing billowing on the line, I gritted my teeth, gathered everything I needed for the job, plugged my ears into Radio 4 and just bloomin'-well got on with it. I was nervous, but arranging the pebbles calmed me down a bit and once I started stringing them together I began to enjoy myself. The (nearly) finished article I'm quite pleased with. Just got to tie off and trim the ends of the threads and I'm done. I have my usual internal battle with symmetry and neatness - I'm sure the slight waviness half way down adds to the charm. Makes it look more like the bed of a stream, doesn't it?
Well, of course, the main thing is that Will and Carla like it, and can forgive me for taking so long to come up with a present!
12 comments:
wow, fantastic feltwork!!!
bye,
filz-t-raum.ch
Now what do I say? My long-suffering husband and son have known for ages that my word is not to be relied upon! But you know that I am in awe of your talent and, judging by other comments on your blog, I'm not the only one. So ............... your pebbles have always been a favourite - love the different colours and sizes which come together as a very pleasing whole. I'm sure Will and Carla will be delighted. Thanks friend for your lovely, if completely erroneous, comments about me.
Anne
I am in awe of your talent.
Chrissie dear, have you ever thought that your lovely friend only tells the truth as we all see it? What a lovely table runner/stream bed! I'm sure your godson and his wife will think it was well worth the wait.
Oh gulp, you're all great!
Absolutely stunning!What a clever idea, what a lovely gift. I'm sure it will be cherished for many years. It's obvious that you are a person of great detail. It shows beautifully in your work.
Shalom,
Suzanne
See - I told you it wasn't just me!
Anne
These are soo cool!
Thanks for playing Make Something Cool Everyday in April! I had a great time and met some cool new friends, hope you did too! Please come read this. I'm planning to do a wrap up.
Thanks!
Dot
Suzanne - thank you for your encouragement
Chrissie
They ae stunning what a fantastic present
What a lovely gift, Chrissie! The pebbles all alone are beautiful - and strung together they are indeed a stunning sight. Your self-taught self has a fabulous eye and a great sense for what works. Really fantastic. So glad you shared!
thank you hippopip and kim for your generous comments - you're very kind
chrissie
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