I finally finished a total of 10 mug mates. Most of them have been posted off to different parts of the globe. My lovely and patient friends are very understanding when they receive their gifts late from me. I actually like getting late presents because after all the activities of Christmas are over you still have more presents to look forward to.
In between making gifts I also did some eco dyeing. I have found many interesting plants and flowers on my drives to work that I thought I would try them out. The results are quite pleasing. So please read on...
A stack of mug mates completely finished with the binding all stitched. I hand quilted all the blue ones and machine quilted the bright ones. I'm not an expert on machine quilting (no time to practice) so hand quilting is my preferred method.
I found this cutest mug with polka dots and strawberries all over. A simple strips piecing using scraps is a simple way to make this mug mate. I'm sure my friend will like it.
An indigo blue mug mate with a single pinwheel block looks good for this one. The mug I got from Oxfam. They come in a box of four mugs in different designs but all in blue and white. I have got the whole box for myself. Just love them.
I hit lucky last weekend when I visited my local op-shop (thrift shop) and found this handmade stitch basket. The stitching is in indigo blue. I make stitch baskets and know how much work went into stitching this basket. I loved to rescue it and give it a new life. I gave it a wash and scrub, and you can see how well it turned out. I'm so pleased with my find!
Eco colour: I got lucky in both of my experiments this week. On the top row is New Zealand flax flowers. It is the first time my NZ flax plant has flowered and I thought I would try dyeing with it. I wrapped them in a piece of dupioni silk and gave the bundle a good pounding before steaming it for 30 mins and let it sits for 24 hours before unwrapped. The top right photo shows the result.
The bottom row of photos is the prunus tree that are in full colour at the moment. I used the leaves to dye with. I used the same method as the NZ flax dyeing. The result is very pleasing indeed.
My dear friend Jane is turning 60 this week. I was given the task of binding a book for her. Her family organized blank pages of papers for family and friends to fill in. After all the pages came back they needed to be put together into a book so that is what I did by binding it (top left). The theme for Jane's party is 60s. Lucky me I have a whole CD of 60s prints so I chose one to use for the cover. There is Jane in pink toasting for her birthday. The bottom left photo is the page I did for Jane's book. Happy Birthday Dear Jane...!
Hope life is not too hectic for you at this time. Take it easy and enjoy the Christmas preparation process. If you are around please come back to enter my giveaways to be posted on Dec. 24th. I have a treat for you all so don't miss out. We will be away during Christmas and New Year and will leave the giveaways up until we return to draw it.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
EVERYONE...♥
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