Floral mess

Try few times to do this post but been very unsuccessful for the moment  .
I have terrible problems on doing a blog from my tablet . The problem I have is the fact I do pictures with my tablet and then I can't download strait away those pictures on my laptop .
Anyway I manage to start few more projects so at the end of this year I will still have plenty projects unfinished even if this year was a year of things to be finish .
This project below is hopefully going to be made in a pillowcase. I like it a lot as I get to use many of the left over threads from different other projects.
The design is one of mine and is giving me the chance to practise different stitch combinations .

I do hope this project to be ready by 31st and this is going to be a great challenge. Between time of visits and guests coming for dinner, children coming and going back ( Pick ups from airport and drop them back ) will be an achievement to manage to do some sewing .

Anyway hope you all will have a Merry Christmas
Lots of hugs
Renata

The Shuttle Hive: A Century of Rising Threads

Been lucky enough this summer to participate to a action of the National Museum of Ireland which was a commemorative collection from designer Alison Conneely and inspired by the role of women in the War of Independence.
This exhibition is running until Jan 2017.
"The exhibited collection will display six themed garment panels – reflecting themes from rebellion and resistance to family and domestic life – each consisting of three items of clothing created by Conneely. The panels are inspired by the various roles played by women during this war-time period: as rebels; spies; uniform makers; nurses; messengers; symbols of old Ireland; and revolution directors. Alison’s vision is of a ‘tapestry of values’, and she has used fabrics that evoke both rebellion and modernity, with an ultimate dream of evoking a new myth that is both complex and clean cut."
Me and my friend have been attended the Weaving Workshops where we created small pieces of weaving art .

 

 

 

Here is my finish piece of weaving which in the picture below is  3d from up . My idea was to present the bloody dripping days of 1916.

The exhibition is very interesting 

 Very happy to be part of this project too. 

Happy crafting all

Hugs 

Renata

Proud and happy

Happy days will come ahead of me . Yes .... I am going to have my both children home for Christmas.
I am one happy mama 😃😄😄
In the summer my daughter decided she will follow her boyfriend to London and will leave there for two / three years . He is doing a master or specialize in some sort of physiotherapy and she will continue her work as makeup artist with Lancome .
My soon in other hand is gone to Sweden for one year in the student exchange program. He seems to can't wait to get back home. Is good to be on your own but is better when mum is doing laundry, cleaning and food sometime 😂

 Here is at my son's secondary school graduation. A very proud sister as you can see and a very serious boy thinking to the hard life (not yet ) which is waiting him .

 Very proud family ....

 He is probably thinking :""hmmm... here I come speeding from the back""

Yes .... I am very guilty , been the most proud mama and I am still proud of two good children which beat all the odds of coming in a strange country with no language skills and no help.
There I am more proud of my husband which manage at his age to get a college done and a master in internet security and this year he finally manage to land the job of his dreams in Bank of Ireland and this in the top of my the stress generated by sickness.

You have a happy stitching there and I send you lots of hugs and good health wishes
Renata

Nostalgii

I find it hard to get back on writing blogs.
I don't know way , just don't find words so more important like before. I use to pay attention to each word I speak and to try to communicate my ideas the clearest possible.
Now I think an picture is saying everything for  people which want to hear 😊
This weekend I have done few pictures of my work from Royal School of Needlework and got a bit of nostalgia for the days when I was running around like a headless chicken 😅😅.

 The crewel embroidery which I so hated at the start of the school become some sort of speciality for me now . Love to do a piece for the diversity of the stitches and for the speed you can have in finishing a piece.

 Gold work embroidery is the reason way I decide to do the RSN in first instance but I don't know way I start few more pieces but never manage to finish them .

With silkshading it was same as goldwork 😏, love the technique but never manage to finish another piece , thought I have one in the frame .

This is the blackwork piece which actually make me cry , NO , I am serious , physically cry . I start practising on the piece below so when I choose the little rabbit I thought all will go smooth and easy Do you think RSN is going to leave anything to be easy? Nope .....

All that stress added with a full time job and teaching classes and a participation at the K&S brought me on the brink of dead.
Now we are going to delete all this year and get a new piece of calico and start from scratch again 😅😅😅


You have a happy stitching there and I send you lots of hugs and good health wishes
Renata

   

Embroidery class

It was a great weekend this past one. My first and last class for this year 😊.
I had a great class at the Kildare ICA Federation craft day , lots of things done .
I hope to be able to get back in shape and take up my classes again .

some very happy ladies going home with a nice Christmas flower
I did have a great help from my best friend Patricia which was on the ball all day and was explaining her self or just keeping them busy until I was free to show them what they needed to know.
This day make me feel useful and back to life again 😊

Lots of hugs and happy crafting
Renata

A midnight taught

I know.... please don't be upset about my silence. Just been busy , you know between sleeping , chemo , surgery and hospital stay my life became a bit hectic.
Yes I know... I just was complaining having my life in slow motion and now is just to fast .. ?
No I think is just normal.
I am please to say at least I have no more cancer in my body as from 13th June 2016 :) :) :) ...
I had my debulking surgery and by my doctors they said they took out all the visible cancer .
It wasn't easy been in surgery from 8am to 3pm and then try to weak me up until 7pm. Well ....I was in a merry world at that time as I do not remember any of but my family did not take it easy waiting and waiting ...and waiting .
Now I am fine had not a single complication which was for the relief of my doctors .Now I am back on the chemotherapy for few more so just to eliminate any stubborn cells  that may had make a break for freedom.This time the chemo did not acted like before, feel much better only a bit weak with trembling feet but otherwise OK.
Right now is 4am and I am up from 2am which here in Dublin is mid night and what I am doing ? write a blog . Seems I can't sleep and probably this is a side effect of the chemo so I decide maybe I can catch up a bit with you guys.
Hope all of you are OK and life is good for you as is for me now.
Many people was talking to me and all are under the impression I have change so much after this like I come out of the cancer a total different person.
Don't know about other people but I don't think I am so different , I don't want to be different either . My take in life is still same only maybe a bit more cautious , take things slowly and think first : is it worth to do something and is any health implication and is this something I really want to do .....
Yes I am a bit ga ga ga ...now thinking even when I put something in my mouth if that piece of food is really good for me, is something which will do good to me or is really worth the risk of eating it now. 
Now I am not gone to bore you anymore with all this and I will let you enjoy some of my latest picture of the work I manage to do .

I hope to manage to add here the instagram link https://www.instagram.com/p/BIU9uBlBPIw/

Is hard to decide what to finish first as I have such amount of things started..... but I presume I can close my eyes , put my hand in a bag  and pull out anything .
Here is a small pic of something started aprox in 2003/2004 ,  can't even remember well 😊😊😊

I will back and promise to transfer some of this picture here in the blog later .

Happy crafting all
Lots of hugs

Renata 

Life in slow motion

Long time did not post anything . Is not like did not exist anymore but things got slow and life is different. My month now become only of 21 days how many are between chemotherapy treatments. From this 21 about 10 - 15 are good for nothing else than sleeping and maybe watch TV .
But then every single day is a victory !!!😁😁😁
The rest of the days up to 21 are fill with anything which can keep me busy.
A bit of work to my big crewel which was started as a commission design but then I had to cancel the commission contract due to the my time schedule now.

Is coming out nicer than expected but very slow. The big frame is not very helpful now when you have pain all over the body .
Another small project which start to get some momentum would be a sampler started in the class with some of my students and which I decided I may finish until I be able to be back for classes.

Now... I may have to leave you at this stage so I can gather my pictures for a further post.
My treatment is going well enough so soon I may be able to actually comeback with more crafts pictures.


Happy crafting all
Hugs and kisses
Renata

Totaly diff kind of blog

I finally have that confirmation which will let me tell you some of the other life I have outside of embroidery.
I have ovarian cancer. Yup...
Well I tell you what : I am ready for the fight of my life and I can assure you this cancer will not have it easy with me.
I would try to document daily what I go thru and see if I come alive at the end of the challenge .
Peety you can't have about 10 life's like in the TV games or even 9 like the cats.

Well this is before my first chemo session.
 Fell scared of what will I feel as they say you can have adverse reactions strait away.
This wasn't happen today.
Bit of sore mouth but otherwise ok.

Now this one is after the chemo already spring cleaning around the bed and alert like a dazy.
Now see you tomorrow :) .
I hope I will still positive.

Happy crafting all
Hugs
Renata

Skirt up do

Just a small reminder of my upcycle skirt . Early on the year  I decided this brown skirt was a bit outdated but because I still like it I was thinking something must be done to just change the face of.
So combining the pleasure of embroidery with the needs and got this brand new skirt ( about 25 years young ) 😀😀
happy crafting all
hugs
Renata