Fan bag

Once upon a time..... (OK, it happened 2 weeks ago) there was a ball in the school where I teach. I didn't have the perfect clothes for a ball (as I do not often go to balls ...) so I decided to sew myself a coat.


A designer one of course, got the pattern from different places. I am not a big dress maker so it was not easy. At the end (the afternoon of the ball) it turned out that there was something wrong in the magazine's (burda) measuring table as the coat was OK but huge for me.... I became really sad and disappointed beacuse I had to unpack all the wardrobes for clothes...


At the end I found something and I had more 30 minutes (it was too early to start).

Just to make myself happy I sewed a fan bag for myself. The pattern is of the March P&Q magazine which I got as a Christmas present from my B. It is a really very small one (I love huge bags to put half of the flat in them...), but it was OK for the ball. At least it was a nice and good sewing experience for me that day and made me a bit happier.... :D
I used the rest of the fabric of the coat, machine stitched it and added satin ribbons.

Last minute rush

It is a beautiful story for me so I'd like to share it with you.

Some days before Christmas I found a piece of paper in my post box from the postman. I had to go to the local post office to get my something. I became totally excited as getting a package/parcel/letter means 'magic' to me since my childhood. I always had penfriends and was very happy to get letters from them. I usually don't get parcel but with those lovely Australian and British ladies I got to know through the net it changed a bit and I got 4 envelopes during December which was one of the best parts of the year for me.

So I went to the post office and got a tiny little box. A really small and cute one. I am sorry I don't have a picture as I tore the paper immediately to see what was inside. I got an angel made of pasta, a little patchwork decoration and a patchwork 'candy'. (here we have a special sweetie which we eat at Christmas, we buy them in different tastes...and they are covered with chocolate and put in colourful paper.... we put them on our Christmas trees). The little box was sent by an internet friend who is a real friend now. She lives in another town. Later we wrote e-mails and now I know the whole story of the candy.
My friend, Borcsi decided to make some Christmas decoration for herself after giving away all the ones she made before. She decided to use orange fabric. (And because she knows me she remembered how much I loved orange). From the rest of the fabric she could sew two candies. When she finished them, she decided to send me on of those. How sweet she was. And I am proud to have the pair of her treasure on my Christmas tree.

I sat in my best friend's car when opened the little box. He became totally excited about my candy and he said he would have been to have some next Christmas (next year). I was quite surprised he liked the idea so much (he is not a patchwork fan).

I knew they (he and his partner) would have a tree with blues decoration so I decided to make a box of candies for them. It was a big rush and Christmas was very busy so I finished the last one 2 minutes before they arrived (and I have some half-finished ones... maybe i can finish them next year).

They were absolutely happy with them and I have heard they gave two to the girl's mum and two to her sister. That is a big complement for me.

Home, sweet home!

After arriving home, unpacking all the dirty clothes and the things we got in AU, I had a quick tour in the corner my sewing machine was. It was staying there sadly, waiting for me patiently. I felt sorry for it. I left it waiting for years and poor one got only two projects to work on: the curtains (not a big challenge for a machine) and a bed cover (To tell you the truth (you know I am that 'honest-type') it is still not finished, I made the quilting part of 6 hundred something pieces and I hand-dyed the borders, but was not brave enough to make the stitching. It is my big project for the near future, but no worries, I am working on the design of the stipling, machine quilting or whatever now).
Back to the point I visited my sewing machine and promised it to work together more. I don't remember what I made, but I am sure a designed something small. And next summer a patchwrok camp took place. I found it on the net and it was only 2 days after the deadline of application, so I phoned them and told a long story about everything. Finally they let me in, and I found myself among a group of patchworking ladies. We made a lot of things in that 4 days. The first one was a huge and fat cat. (I don't like cats very much, but this one is sweet. It is really crazy, so I loved the whole work.) It can be a pillow for smaller ones, and it looks funny. Hmmmmm.... I think I have to find it and make a pic.....
We made a bag and an organizer for my accessories and some more thing I don't remember. (Maybe they were not so important :D) And that was the point I started to sew again. I had nearly no time because I worked a lot, but I found 2 nice ladies (in fact a lady and a young one) who invited me in their pw group. We met once a month and made something together or got/gave some ideas.
It was a strange period. It was frightening to be with experts.... They had been sewing for ages. Some had more sewing experienge than my age..... You can imagine. But one of them was really kind to me and helped a lot when I had problems. I didn't know half of the tools they used, and most of the techniques were new for me as well.
Unfortunately some ladies were not so kind and they often make me angry or sad because of thier huge selfishness. But who cares? I still have that nice one (unfortunately my first two friends are not there any more) and my new best sewing friend joined the group.
Ah, that is another funny story.... It was Christmas time. The group decided to make presents. Everyone made a present and we made slips of paper with the names on them. We chose a slip and gave the present to that person. I missed 3 or 4 meetings before and Christmas was my first visit in that term. Then I saw a nice girl smilng and looking for me (poor she got a slip with a totally unknown name on it). I got the most beautiful present and her friendship as well...:D I am sure this was the best Chritmas present in the group that year..... We are still friends, laughing together a lot. With her help I can forget all the matters the others cause to me....

But some years later.....

.....I went to Australia to visit my father-in-law. During the second week we were talking about my hobbies after breakfast in the kitchen next to the fireplace. I mentioned patchwork, quilting and the 3 or 4 things I had made before... (At that time I was working on a tablecloth, a small cross stiched one.) My mother-in-law became really excited and suddenly found me a leaflet about the Sydney Quilt Fair which took place that week. I didn't need more motivation. The next day I bought my first train ticket in Australia and travelled to Sydney. And when I entered the fair I couldn't breath for a minute. I have never seen so many nice fabrics, quilt accessories atc. before. Actually I hadn't been at a quilting exhibition before (not to mention ours which was only a small one in school, can't be compared with this one). So first I looked all the quilts...I suddenly realised that the U12 (under12) cathegory's quilts were much nicer and professional that I could do (or just imagine).
And after that I went through the fair...So many nice fabrics and things I have never heard about, which help the quilters' work. It seemed like heaven for me. The only missing part were the angels (quilted country angels of course :D). I made a timetable as there were some workshops which I wanted to sit in. Some were information about the newbies and some were about techniques. I visited 4 I think then went back to the shops. I have never seen fat quarters or patchwork kits before...
I spent the whole day there and bought some fat quarters, little and funny buttons (biscuits, small country houses and a sewing button pack) and some old magazines. Yes, it is a really very nice thing there. You can buy the old magazines for some cents only. They offer a pack of 3 or 5 for only some dollars. It was not easy to choose as I had no quilting magazine before, so all were new for me. I tried to choose different ones. Finally I bought some about country style, some usual patchwork magazines, one about crafts and a bear making one. I went home late in the evening. I got some telephone calls from my family as they worried about me alone in Sydney for such a long time... To tell the truth I could sleep there.... I could spend a whole week among those things...
But I caught an evening train and went home. During the journey I started reading my new magazines and I got some new motivation to start again sewing and patchwork, to think about trying and using my inherited sewing machine, and to cut fabrics. ( I was and hmmm... I think I am sometimes afraid of cutting beautiful fabrics)

When I arrived home (to my family's house), some good news waited for me. My sweet mother-in-law told me about a patchwork shop near their house.
I couldn't wait for the next morning. I was so excited. My B (he is my husband, but I can't call him like 'husband' he is my B) was so kind and he came with me. I think we spent 3 hours in the shop, browsing the shelves and touching everything. I bought my first bear kit there on a sale (I think I knew the introduction by heart at the end of the day I read it so many times) when my B showed me a sign. It said something like: 'if you want company just come and sew with us on Thursday evening'.

I was thinking about that sign all evening and decided to be brave and give it a try. So on Thursday (which was the next day of the week) I took my ebroidery things and went there. And it was really amazing! I met some really nice ladies, a very good company. They asked me at least 200 questions, we laughed a lot and spent a good time together. (Did I mention I was frightened to talk to natives? I was always thinking about my grammar mistakes and trying to correct them during speaking... I have to tell, it makes things really difficult.) So we had tea (hihi, tea at 10 o'clock in the evening-seemed strange at first, but then I realised I was in a place where people have some English habits) and wonderful cake with it. I was so happy. I made some new friends, I saw them sewing, I spent an evening in that beautiful place having that tea together. I couldn't ask for more...

I think you guess I was there every Thursday with the ladies and all evenings were as good as the first one. (After coming home I kept in touch with them, and I hope I am still somewhere in their memories).

And my sewing machine was waiting for me at home.....


This is an edition of the original post. My dear father-in-law has just sent me a picture about the place I met those wonderful ladies on Thursday nights. It is a nice memory and I am happy I will be able to see the place whenever I want :D