Floral Birds and a Weaving Goddess.

A dozen birds in the hand are better than 2 in the bush , or something like that...

Made from all the small scraps of fabric that I keep in my scrap basket. Won't they look lovely in our Christmas tree! Thanks for the idea cousin B.

Many pencil rolls were made for the several craft fairs I have been selling at. These were my favourite; and all sold ! The fairytale fabric was an old curtain from the late 50's or 60's. Unfortunately I only have about 40 cm left.

Oh how I wish I could get more. Or even a new quality fairytale fabric with little gnomes and toadstool houses, but without the garish colours. Nothing like it for sale around here ...

This is what I like doing with old table linen, crocheted and embroidered doilies: salvaging the bits that don't have stains or rips, and making them into bunting. It takes me quite a bit of time to colour co-ordinate them, but I love it.

The sets of bunting are a good 3 and a half metres long, so you can really string them up across the room.
Here a picture of last weekends' market in the court yard of our lovely Opera House. It was really hot weather, and we had a lot of public come in. What a beautiful setting, with live music and singing. My stall is behind the lady in green.

I talked lots and lots, about my things and to people I knew.
The Steiner Fair a few weeks ago, had a white elephant stall with a silent auction. For those of you not familiar with the term white elephant, it is a stall which sells people's unwanted but still use-able items.

I donated my old standing loom. I decided a while ago that weaving is not really "my thing". This one is a 4 shaft homemade loom of unknown origin, everything still intact. I have used it and made 7 metres of fabric.

It has been living in the shed, so it was time to clean it up and put it on my husband's nifty truck-lette. Above the "shafts" under the top beam of the "castle" a large spider had woven an amazing web. Perhaps a funnel-web spider?

Straight away I had to think of the ancient Greek legend of the Goddess Athene/Minerva and her weaving competition with Arachne. Athene's pride was hurt when Arachne wove some of the (lustful and selfish) deeds of the god Zeus (Athene's father) into the cloth. Her wrath was terrible and Arachne hung herself. Athene felt remorse, saved Arachne, but changed her into a spider (arachnid). She weaves on for ever...

I removed Arachne-incarnate gently and put her back in the shed with the remains of her web, and an apology.

Treasure Hunt Show Case...

This wasn't a purchase, but a swop with one of the stall holders I know. Such sweet 70's goodness and a good 3 metres each. I have just the right aqua-blue cotton to go with it.

Part of my crochet stash collected over the last few years. Such pretty pastels. All ready to be used in a one project or another.

Weird Impulse Purchase...
This tiny little doll (just 9 cm tall) was in my favourite op-shop St.Vincent de Paul's.

I immediately recognized a Mecki hedgehog doll. She is made from rubber with felt and fabric clothes. She (Micki) has a white hankie in one hand and I think she is missing a mountain walking stick in the other hand. She was for sale with 2 other folklore dolls, which didn't interest me . So I left those in the shop and walked out quite excited after paying my $1 .

I have a girlfriend who has a few larger Meckis. ( hi J!) I also used to have a Mecki postcard from when I was a little girl, but I can't find it anywhere right now (probably gave it to J. years ago...).

Meckis are collectors items, after a German cartoon character from the 1950's.

I love the idea of little hedgehog pixies, I wrote a fairytale for my girls when they were little, about just such a creature. We often have one in the garden.

Not sure if that one is magical though. Certainly doesn't have table-manners : a lot of smacking and crunching sounds while dining on those pesky snails!