French chic

A rather unusual gift I got this Christmas was from my Breton friend - a leather tassel.  Now, I must admit that I didn't really know what to do with it, but a note from my friend said that they were all the rage in France when worn on a chain.  I wasn't convinced until I saw said friend's mother (and maker of said tassel) wearing one herself - and now I'm a convert.  I also got two leather bracelets from her as a bonus.

My friend's mum is a hugely talented crafter and over the years I've had quite a few beautiful gifts from her.  She painted pebbles for her daughter's wedding as 'place cards' and personalised each one!

One year she made angels out of wooden clothes pegs to decorate the Christmas tree - I'm sure it looked stunning.  And amongst the other lovely gifts she's given me I've had Liberty print hankies and fabric shoe-horns (unfortunately the mice in our flat loved the stuffing, so they have now been thrown out!).  Aren't I lucky to have such a generous crafting friend?  Merci pour tous!

A sample of samplers

As I think I've mentioned, I've been embroidering for years and years.  It all started when I was about 8 and I found an old biscuit tin of my late grandmother's full of embroidery silks.  I asked my mother what they were for and she explained and showed me ... the rest as they say is history!

I've been hooked ever since.  I think the first thing I embroidered was an unfinished tray cloth of my grandmother's (she died a year before I was born and was a seamstress and milliner).  I showed it to her sister and the following Christmas I got an embroidery kit for another tray cloth from her.  I still have both of them.

I've made sampler, followed by sampler, followed by picture, then another sampler ... you get the gist.  I'm ashamed to say that most of them are kits and not my own designs.  I've been a bit reluctant and unconfident about designing my own.  I have, however, made a number of friends samplers to celebrate weddings and births (but not for my sister, as she keeps reminding me!).

And that is where you/this comes in - I hope. 

Three years ago I made my (then, soon to be) brother in law and sister in law a sampler as a wedding present.  Then my mother in law asked for one too.  And last year I made two birth samplers for my cousins' children.  So, in a way, I'm on a roll. 

Then a friend recently asked if I'd make one for her daughter as a 'pair' for the one I made her son when he was born.  Embarassingly, I'd intended to make one when her daughter was born and had even bought the materials, but never got around to it (this seems a bit of a theme in my creative life!).  So, now I've embarked on my first true commission.

I'm not going to make the sampler I'd originally chosen and bought the materials for.  Instead, I'm going to adapt the design of her brother's - so this is a step towards designing my own!