CHRISTMAS BIRDS

Each year I try to have a little Christmas project, and this year I have been making birds. I was inspired by an article and pattern in the Quilting Arts Gifts book, but of course I adapted it to suit me and the materials I had available.



To start with I went to my stash of homemade felt. This is the felt that I have created using old woollen jumpers from the Op Shop. I simply do all the things you are not supposed to do with wool. I wash them in very hot and cold water, with lots of detergent, and I agitate them for ages in the washing machine, and the result is a lovely thick felt with just the slightest bit of stretch in it.

This one has embroidery and lacy wings for a more romantic look

This seemed to be the perfect material for my birds' bodies! Because it would not fray, I was able to make raw edge seams on the sewing machine. Then I went up to the attic to find some Christmas fabric for the wings. I found a couple of suitable ones with wording on them, and also made some wings by fussy-cutting some shapes from old crocheted doileys. The wings were attached to the bodies using Mother-of-Pearl buttons.

Some of the birds' bodies were embroidered, but this proved to be very time-consuming, so my MarkII models were plain, and it did not make much difference.

I had fun gathering bits and pieces of ribbon and braid for the hanging bits. I actually cut some old silk blouses into bias strips and burned the edges so they would not fray, and this added to the ribbon stash.

Rowena shows the one I gave her at our Craft group Christmas get-together.

The best part was threading beads onto ribbon for the hangers, and I actually had to beg a necklace from my three-year old great niece to provide the glitzy metallic touch!!

I think I ended up making 35 of these little creatures, and I am not tired of it yet. I have some ideas brewing for some that are not so Christmassy!!

Meanwhile the little birds have proved to be lovely gifts for friends and visitors! And these three look great hanging from our Mantlepiece under our Christmas Nativity Crib.

TO MAKE SOAP - FIRST CATCH YOUR SHARK

I have been making soap, with the help of my friend Annette, who has been making her own for more than thirty years.

My first batch, made with Annette there on the spot to give me instructions

It is an incredibly simple process, with only three ingredients - far/oil, lye, and water. You can add all sorts of things, of course, to produce certain effects, such as hardening, colouring, adding texture and perfumes.

But the basic recipe does the job perfectly well.

And in current economic times. being able to save a little money to provide for the family and produce some little hand made gifts for friends gives one the most enormous pleasure!

Earlier this year, Annette made me a beautiful batch using pure olive oil. This is known as Castile soap.

This is the "Castile" (pure olive oil) soap that Annette made for me. The name of Grace Proud is one Annette uses when selling her soap.

Annette often makes her soap from the cast-off oil from the Takeaway shops and Restaurants. She clarifies this, and makes perfectly good soap for only a few cents a cake, unless she adds other ingredients. Her last batch she added kelp - it really smells of the sea! There is, of course, time involved, with initial stirring, and then waiting for it to cure.


You also need to take into account the fact that, although the process is basic and simple, the results can sometimes be a little unpredictable. Who knows why? The weather? the humidity? The quality of the oil? But there are no failures, because the soap can be "re-batched" and you get a second chance.


For my first efforts I used Copha (based on coconut oil) and Olive oil - and I was really pleased with the results. My second attempts used the same ingredients, but with more Copha and less oil. The results were not quite so good, but I went to the Internet, and found it was probably the rose-scented oil I decided to add that made it go a bit grainy.


Anyway, all you need are two buckets. Into one goes your warmed oil/fat, melted if necessary. Into the other goes your water, to which you add your lye (caustic soda) which makes the water go hot.


When both buckets have cooled to roughly the same temperature, you start stirring, and you could be stirring for a while, unless you use an electric "wand", like a Bamix. Once your mixture thickens, you pour it into moulds. The modern flexible silicone muffin moulds are perfect. Wrap it in a blanket for a couple of days or more, turn it out, and let it cure for a week or two. If it is still a bit soft, put it in the frig.

My second attempt, done without Annette's help. I could not resist trying a little powdered colouring

So what does this have to do with catching sharks? Well, my friend Paulette (90 years young) has been telling me how they made soap when she was growing up in a remote part of Pentecost Island in Vanuatu.


The fat for their soap came from shark's liver. But first you needed to catch a shark, the bigger the better.


At night, they would tie a long thick rope to a coconut tree near the beach. Close to the water's edge, a slightly narrower rope would be joined on. At intervals along the rope, it would be looped with lengths of string. Right at the end they would have a big hand-forged hook, to which a tempting shoulder of pork would be attached.



Now if a shark came along and took the pork, the hook would attach to its mouth and he would try to swim away. As he swam, one of the string loops would break, and the jerk would make the hook sink deeper. As he swam again, the same would happen, and before long, the hook was well and truly embedded.



In the morning, Paulette's step-father would come down to the beach to see if a shark was on the line. It would be extremely tired by this time. If they had been successful, they would light a fire, to send a smoke signal to the native Vanuatuans who lived around the bay. The men would come and assist to pull in the shark - it was not unusual to catch one measuring four metres or more. The shark would then be killed, and the liver extracted.

The liver, quite a large piece of "meat", was boiled up in a big 44 gallon drum to extract the oil. The liver was then disposed of, because it was highly toxic, and even a dog eating a small piece would die a slow and painful death. The rest of the shark was also disposed of - they had no use for any other part, except for some of the skin, that was used for sandpaper!

The fat that had been extracted was then clarified. They had discovered that seawater was best for this. One day, one of the women had been washing the clothes in the river, near where it ran into the sea. A large wave had rolled in and swamped the clothes. She discovered that not only did the soap lather better, but washed out cleaner. So they tried using the salt water for clarifying the oil. Now I told Annette about this, and she was amazed. She said that a website she had gone to had suggested adding salt when clarifying, and she didn't believe it would work.

Anyway, back to Vanuatu. The fat in the drum would rise to the top as it cooled, and the water below was released through a bung. The caustic soda solution was added, the mixture stirred, and then it was poured into moulds that been made by hand from cut-up kerosene tins. This soap was not only used at home, but provided a little cash for the family when it was sold to tourists.

Now in the old days, the ashes from the fire were used to make the lye or caustic soda. I do not know how this was done. I may look it up, but I do not intend to try it!

CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS

When I was a child in England, Father Christmas always left our presents in a pillowcase at the end of our beds. I cannot remember if the gifts were wrapped or not, but if they were, it would only have been in brown paper.

We always opened our presents in bed as soon as we woke up. There was always an orange or a tangerine at the bottom, and that was a genuine delight for us in an English mid-winter.

Nowadays, we expect the children to be more civilised, and open their gifts together with the rest of the family on Christmas morning. But because they are far more indulged with toys and treats throughout the year, I am sure they are not nearly so excited about presents as we used to be.

One of the small stockings I made last year to give away.

The humble pillowcase seems to have gone by the board, and presents sit under the tree. Some families have them sitting there for some days prior to Christmas, but we do not put ours out until last thing on Christmas Eve.

The Christmas stocking, the original gift holder, is a popular decoration. The real thing would have to be enormous to hold all the presents one receives nowadays, particularly with all the boxing and packaging.

Christmas stockings realy lend themselves to Crazy patchwork, for a nostalgic Victorian feel. I have made many over the years either to give away or sell or use to hang in our fireplace.

This year, the Southerncrosscrazies, an online Crazy Patchwork group I belong to, decided to have a Christmas stocking Round Robin. The idea was that you pieced the basic stocking, and then it travelled around a group of 6 people, each one taking a month to add some embroidery, beads or other embellishment before posting it on to the next person. There were three groups of 6, and to make up the numbers, a couple of us took part in two groups.

My first stocking was in more muted pastels, and I absolutely adore the finished result!

My two stockings were very different in their colour schemes, but when they came home, after 6 months, both were very beautiful. There was such exquisite embroidery, beading, and delightful doo-dads on them.

The second stocking was in jewel colours, but the girls who worked on it managed to make it look very Victorian and festive.

It is now my task to give them a backing and a lining , which I hope to do before Christmas.

Two of another "batch" of stockings I made last year as little gifts for members of my Craft group.

By the way, I have been involved in making an enormous Crazy Christmas Stocking. Some years ago, a gentleman on the island offered me his late wife's craft supplies, if I would get together a group of people to make something in her memory using these materials. I was quite puzzled about what to make, because there were all these different threads, fabrics, beads, buttons, ribbons and all sorts of miscellaneous items. I finally decided that a Patchwork stocking would best showcase the materials, as well as giving a wide range of people the chance to contribute their own particular skills.

In the end, about 19 ladies worked on the stocking, and it ended up over 7 feet tall!

I must get it down from the attic and photograph it for this blog!

Thankfulness for Family and Friends

On the last Wednesday in November, we all gather at All Saints' Church in the morning to celebrate Thanksgiving, and to give thanks for God's bounteous provision.

William had money to put in the plate - but he thought he would try it out in his pocket first!At the end of the service, as the produce was being gathered, Trigger gave William a carrot.After the service the produce is sold outside.

Lots of people came to our place for lunch. We think there were more than 75 altogether!!

Jamie and Arthur carved the turkey and ham, then we sang Grace.The older kids enjoyed sitting together and tucking into all the gorgeous food.

Mal brought along some stuff for the kids to play with. The hoops had the little ones fascinated.After lunch there were some races - three legged, Sack races and Plum and spoon races. (We had run out of eggs!) The grown ups had to join in too.

But only the kids got the prizes. The water pistols were very popular!Charles tries out the new Jumping Castle.

A BIG BIRD AND A FIRE-FIGHTING DRAGON

Yesterday, every man and his dog seemed to gather around the circumference of the Norfolk Island International Airport.

They were there to see the arrival of the Australian Airforce Globemaster C17. But they were also there to catch a glimpse of the cargo - the brand new high-tech "designer" fire engines which have been purchased from Germany.

I suppose when more than 3 million dollars is expended in buying two fire engines, training people to use them, transporting them to the island, and housing them, everyone has a right to feel they are "stakeholders!" And it is certainly a lot of money for something we all hope will never be used!

After much waiting and peering into the sky to the west, the cry finally went out "Here it comes", and out came the binoculars and cameras.

The big bird was amazingly quiet, and landed on just a short length of runway. There was a holding of breath - and I suspect even an emotional tear or two, as the back flap came down. Behind, you can see the site of the new "garage" that will be built to house the big beasts! It has been all hands on deck to get this underway, but alas, it will be tarpaulins to protect the new "toys."

Finally the first of the engines rolled own the ramp onto the tarmac. It was history in the making.

Three of the old fire engines came out to form a sort of "guard of honour." No doubt some of these will now be well and truly pensioned off, and I am told are even destined to become museum pieces!

As we started back to our cars, thinking the excitement was all over, the new engine did a celebratory lap of the airfield close to the fence, sirens blaring!

The Globemaster, whose engines had been kept running, then reversed back down the runway, and in no time at all, was back in the air.
The Globemaster has a massive interior - but unfortunately just a bit too small to bring both engines on one trip. The plane returned that evening with the second one, and was able to Medivac an injured local boy back to the mainland.

Now do you know the question that is on everyone's lips?

What about Santa Claus?" You see, Santa has always arrived on Norfolk Island on the back of one of the big old red fire engines. Will he be allowed a place of honour on one of the flash new models? Will he even want to ride on something that is bright green and yellow, and not the familiar old Christmas red?

OLD BOAT

I must confess this blog has been a little neglected just lately, as some other priorities have surfaced and occupied my attention. I have been supervising Higher School Certificate exams, but that task ends today, no doubt a sigh of relief for the students. In between I have had a few mornings/afternoons minding William, and for 11 days I was holding the fort while Bernie was in Tahiti.

Another matter that has been the focus of much of my time and emotional resources is that this beautiful little island is once again under threat from those who do not value or respect its unique and special way of life. But I never intended this blog to be a soapbox. If you are interested, please go to my other blog at

http://angelsandeagles.blogspot.com/

Recently my pages from our fabric/mixed media Round Robin finally arrived home. They have travelled to New Zealand, Australia and the United States, and each participant has added their contribution. They are stunning!!!

I chose the theme of "Old Boat", with the inspiration being a photo I bought at the Op Shop.

I asked the participants if they could seek to portray the wonderful colours and textures as much as the theme. I will show you one side of each page.

Carol has used some fabric which she has dyed with rust, and has further enhanced this with metallic glue,ink, paint, stitching and beads. The rope is actually a discarded piece of knitting!! The textures and metallic glow in this piece are amazing.
Irene's page for me also uses rust-dyed fabric, draped with hand-dyed cheesecloth in both greens and browns. The little coins suggest some buried treasure! The bead trails completes a lovely page.

Meanwhile Melissa decided to use a photo she had taken of an old rusty ship at the Wellington wharves. The bottom area is done with a layering of glitzy fabrics and sheers, which you first stitch, and then attack with a heat gun! I am particularly thrilled with the name of the ship, because Lord Nelson had a strong association with the place where my parents grew up, and my uncle actiually lived in his paymaster's house!
Dorothy has used a picture of "Pipey" a well-known fisherman from the North of England. This picture and story actually came with a "Fisherman" teddy that Dorothy's husband bought for her at a Craft Show many years ago. Dorothy has added some painted and heated tyvek, and the seaweed has been created by sewing with metallic thread onto dissolvable plastic. Some paua shell further enhances the effect.
Diana has used a scrap of dockyard fabric that she has been saving for some time, awaiting the right time and inspiration. Isn't it wonderful? Some lines of stitching have emphasised the texture, and some rusty bottle tops along the bottom really complete the effect! Don't you love the little bird that Diana has created from what was a rather abstract blob?

For her background, believe it or not, Jan has used a paper serviette with different kinds of pasta printed on it! Jan has also used some blue wrapping paper that she had screwed up and discarded before deciding it was just right for this project. Some bubble wrap has been tucked underneath to give it a squishy watery feel and sound! Some natural string has been artfully draped around it, and the beautiful albatross is from Jan's collection of "bits and pieces. " We all have collections like that, but I really appreciate Jan's generosity in parting with this one!Now we come to Mary Ann's page. Felt, paint, heavy ornate lace, and gel medium have all been combined to wonderful effect! The picture does not do justice to this page, with its lovely green metallic glow and rich texture! Did you notice the "Feathers" yarn used in the border?Finally Jane's page completes the set - unless I decide to add to it myself! This page represents 'Jetsam', and features a variety of techniques. There is heat-blasted felt, a rust-dyed and painted damask fabric from an Op shop tablecloth, rust-dyed scrim, rusted bottle tops, some tea-dyed cording from a hanging bath sponge, and some glass beads. I can just imagine what fun Jane had playing with all this stuff!

In another posting, I will show you the reverse side of each of these pages.

Meanwhile I am so proud to be a part of this group of very talented, creative and generous girls!