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

Christmas is comming and plans for next year started !!!

A bit of mad times in Autumn but now all cool down and I totally refuse to get back to my daily madness with groups, associations and all the others.
I am chilling and gathering my toughts for next year. Already some plans start to run wild in my head.
You do need to get your plans in order and I learn a valuable lesson : start preparations from early enough .

I plan for next year to: half at least, my stress levels and this will happen with a good planning and more important following the plan and the schedule .

First on the list for Jan is to make the pattern and do the sewing for a crewel embroidery size 15/ 20 inches  for a nice lady in Galway which will take the ICA exams .
Well... drawing finished now just to start the sewing and pattern writing so I think I am ahead of my self for once...

A bit dark, but otherwise you would not see the drawing so I had to make it more dark for better visibility.

Then a first pattern for blackwork which is actually purple .
At the moment I am not very keen in doing blackwork patterns. I will see after this first one if I am going to continue with .

Then a project for the Embroidery guild and another for the Lace guild .
Classes start to fill in and I am still having my full time job.
Now... do I am going to be able to avoid the word STRESS next year?
Will keep you informed about :) :)



 Happy crafting all
Hugs
Renata

Shows, holidays and work

Yes, the Knitting and Stitching show finished a long time ago.
I have return to you with some pictures maybe a little bit late, but I think it's never too late to tell you again about how much of a good time I had at the show and how much I really did enjoy the show.
I have to say a big thank you to all of you which came for the first time to see my work and for all those whom came back time after time to check my work and support my journey through the land of embroidery and lace.

Here is the night before the show when everything was set up and finished, or so we taught. The next morning I found some of the pictures down on the floor with damaged frames but the actual embroidery was OK.

Then all the madness started.
Four very busy days which took the life out of me. I actually never realised what I was getting myself into.
I learned my lesson for the next show, which is that I need to start my preparations from NOW .. !!!!

I had shown and explain my prized quilt at least 50 times and I do believe it was the star of my stand. Everyone was intrigue and mesmerized by the complexity of the design.

 Here is a much detailed picture of the quilt in question.

Another star of my show was the Blackwork portrait of my lovely daughter which many people recognized when they seen her around at the show.

I had a sore throat  for about a week after from so much talking.
Now it is all finished and after all that stress I have take a very very big break.
Something which I actually should have done a long time ago: talking to my family, watch stupid things on TV, cleaning windows, cleaning the house and just lazying around.

I think now will be the time to announce the winners of the raffle prizes and to get back to work !!!!


Happy crafting all,

Hugs
Renata

The Knitting & Stitching Show in Dublin - freebees ?????

Officially it has been done.... I have a stand in one of the biggest craft shows in Dublin : The Knitting & Stitching Show

This is going to be the first of many more years to come.

I will have most of my work displayed at the show and I will also be selling a few kits. Just enough to pay for the stand, lights and insurance.

Or so I hope :) :)

These are going to be the front and back of a couple of flyers which I am hopping my helpers will be spreading around .

Now because this is sorted out I just need to think of some sort of promotion to run during the show time .

Any ideas?

Any suggestions? What would you like to see? 1 hour  free class? a free kit ?  or maybe a % free from a series of classes? hmm...

I personally would like all of this :) :)  ... can we do it? ...

I will leave it with you to decide on what you like.

Happy crafting all
Hugs
Renata

Lace Convention 2015

Yes.. I did record the year  and this is in the hope at some stage will become a tradition . Or maybe I am to fast in thinking this will happen. Was A lovely time and very happy and excited people around doing all sort of laces and in special the traditional ones from Ireland .
And then  was that fabulous show and presentation of lace collections .

 A lovely collection of umbrellas from children ones to all sort of others.

I really don't know way most of pictures are sided but I still believe you may be able to see the beauty of the lace.

Happy crafting all

Hugs

Renata

 

The Crafty Fox workshop

Is so much time past from my last post !!! If I keep posting in blog and FB I am not having any time left over for some actual work to do .
Been very busy up to now between preparing for the Lace Convention at An Grianan , classes in Dublin City and Drogheda.
This weekend it was the first when I had been very happy the way my embroidery classes are going . Refining my teaching directions , I have got a lot of new ideas about how the classes should flow .

Anyway I was very happy and lucky to have a very experienced class. Not so much on dealing with the materials I use - wool but very experienced in sewing in general .
Very open to my own ideas too which make things much easy .
I did not manage to get any pictures in the class due to me been headless as usual and forget the camera at home.
Anyway been send in the facebook few pics from the lovely  Elizabeth's Catstree work.

Here is she showing off her french knots which had been a nemesis for long time for her .So I have hopes she will tame them and use them a lot .
The whole design is finished now and I can't wait to see what she will use it for .

Another girl sending me the final picture was Imelda McKeogh  which did a great job her self 

Only one girl, Jana ,  had been with no experience in any sort of embroidery. What can I say she is a natural in doing embroidery . Not only she keep up with all the other she did not need any special attention and the job was actually great . A bit of polish in her skills and I may be attempted to get her as an assistant :) :).
All in all a very good day and I have to thank again to all the staff in The Crafty Fox  for all the help and assistance.

I will be back soon with some pictures from the Lace Convention.

Happy crafting all
Hugs 
Renata