We have had a wonderful start to Spring. Our hat competition produced some wonderful creations by those of our members who participated, and the winners, voted for by all members present were:
Tuesday, Hettie Moller, with Helen Bird as runner-up
Saturday – Corinne van Deventer, with Jenni Langford as runner-up.
Our last workshop for the year will be on October 8th when Alice Per will teach Schwalm work. This amazing apparent combination of whitework, hardanger (sort of) and cutwork has its own beauty and will be appreciated by all who learn this technique. Unfortunately the class is full, but I’m sure we will be able to persuade Alice to do it again.
However, we can still learn things! Carol Robinson promises us a fun end-of-year project. We look forward to that, and she will let us know what is in store. From the Ighali project, we have 83 out of 120 felt needle cases completed, and 70 cross-stitch scissors/bird key tags done. The challenge is to have them ALL completed by the last meeting of this year. How about it ladies?
One last request from me. We need to start advertising Ighali early in the New Year so we can get a number of participants. I have been looking at placing advertisements in our local craft magazines. Unfortunately “Creative Hobbies” only comes out once a year in July, but the owner/editor says she will advertise it through her publicity channels, and the “Stitches and Crafts” has ceased publication. I shall investigate the more general magazines when I know a bit more about costs, but in the meantime, I think it would be best to go the route of the Quilters Guild who had posters and flyers everywhere. And this is what we need. We need someone who has graphic art training/experience who could design a flyer and/or poster for us. Does anyone have any such contacts? Please let me know. We would like to begin promoting this in January.
Finally, a number of people were very impressed with the poem presented at the memorial service for Riana, and have asked me to re-produce it here.
“Don’t grieve for me, for how I’m free.
I’m following the path God laid for me.
I took his hand when I heard him call;
I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day,
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must tay that way;
I found the place at the close of day.
If my parting has left a void,
then fill it with remembering joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a hug, a kiss.
Oh yes, these things I too will miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow,
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full, I’ve savoured much.
Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch.
Perhaps my time seems all too brief.
Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your head and heart and share with me.
God wanted me now. He set me free.
Have a wonderful month, and hopefully, by the time of the next letter, we will have had some rain.
Happy sewing!