Granny

Hey there,

So, I put up some pics of some fun, funky and cute chicks over the last few days - I hope you liked them! So cute.

The scallops are circles tucked up under the white layers, by the way. You can make a scallop border of any size doing that - you're only limited to the sizes of circles you own. And if you're like me, you have tonnes.

Rule number one in punch art: Get every single size circle you can find.

I know, I've said it before, but it's worth reiterating.

Okay, moving on.

This is Granny (my dad's mum) and she was fun, funky and cute. Actually, I don't know if everyone would describe her as funky, but who cares? I do.

She was cheeky, we'd all agree on that. I only knew her as an older person - you know, being my grandmother and all - but she had a touch of the cheeky, for sure.

Just look at the photo. Look at that twinkle. What were you thinking about, Granny?

Probably just trying to smile nicely for the camera, I think. We all try to do that and get a decent picture of ourselves at least a couple of times in our life, don't we?

Ah, Granny. You see, she was a kindred spirit (watch Anne of Green Gables to expand on the term kindred spirit!). To me, a kindred spirit is someone who gets you and you get, you know? She got me. I felt she did. She passed away when I was 18 and I was so sad because I felt like we were just becoming friends. Moving from that grandchild/grandmother relationship to a grown up friendship granddaughter/grandmother one.

Oh, big sigh. I miss that. I wonder what our relationship would've been liked and how it would've developed?

Well, I can tell you this. It would've involved a lot of conversation, a lot of visits around her kitchen table (it was funky! Orange chairs...told ya, funky) and a lot of cups of tea in her china cups. A lot of family dinners and celebrations and days out. Things like that, but the conversations are the things I miss the most. I miss the conversations we had and I miss the conversations we would've had.

And we would've lived next door to each other for a couple of years. That would've been good. My brother and I rented my uncle's house for two and a half years, which was right next door to Pappa, so I would've seen her a lot.

Another big sigh - it's okay, it's okay. We all miss her. She was just. so. fab. Excuse me, my eyes are misting up.

I think I've realised the missing and the ache are never going to go away. I've just learned how to treasure what we had, sometimes think about what we missed, but end up grateful for her presence in my life. She was a true treasure. Like gold. No, more precious. Lordy, I miss her.

Now I'm getting a tissue!

Okay, I'm back. Hopefully you're okay too and didn't have to get a tissue because you were missing someone precious to you! Sorry about that - we're all human, we all love people, miss people and need to have a cry about it sometimes.

I've talked previously about Grandpa and his woodwork amongst other things, Grandma and her crochet amongst other things, Pappa and his well, everything amongst other things and now Granny and her sewing amongst other things.

Just a thing I've realised about creative people and creativeness - some creative people do a lot of things and are good at them all (my mum) and some are specialists (myself). Not trying to box anyone in here because that's just silly, but Mum has done a lot of crafts and creative stuff in her life - wait until you see the list! - but I haven't, I've tended to specialise.

I'm going to talk about what my sister and brother do at a later time, but my sister is a specialist cross-stitcher, it's what she's good at and what she loves. My brother is a specialist whip-maker, it's what he's good at and what he loves.

They've both done a lot of creative stuff in their lives, but they've found something they love with sewing. Ha ha, that's funny - they're both like sewing, aren't they? Cross-stitch is sewing, of course, and whip making is kinda sewing with leather. Jack, Pete's eight year old, asked if Pete was knitting when he saw him making a whip. You know whip making is plaiting, it's just doing it with 16 strands (or more) and keeping it neat!

Okay, all I'm saying is - Granny was a specialist, a specialist embroiderer. Can you be a specialist embroiderer? She was! She was good at it and she loved it. She also crocheted too. Her speciality was tiny, beautiful work with tiny, beautiful stitches.

Get a load of some of her work below.

Look at it!

These flowers are on a small tablecloth (that we would've thrown, sorry...put, on the table and had our cups of tea on) that she made.

It now lives on the typewriter in my craft room. I look at the pretty tablecloth everyday. I love that. She crocheted around the edges too.

And here we go, this is what's impressive, look at the back. Look how neat it is!

When I was taking the photos and sorting them on the computer, I had to check them closely because it was hard to tell the front from the back sometimes because they were as both as neat as each other!

Front - pretty.

Yep, that's the back.

Did you lean forward?

I did, just to check. Amazing, isn't it?

Again, front.

Love the red.

Back. Very impressive again.

Easier to tell because the colours are darker.

Doesn't this kind of embroidery make you want to go shine the heels of your shoes and clean out your cupboards?

Maybe, maybe not!

Anyway, I just think it's amazing that she took such care with something people wouldn't see.

And yes, I have a sample of her handwriting too. This letter came with the one from Pappa in 1984 when stamps were 30 cents each.

She called me Jo, I liked it.

(We had chooks growing up too)

Love you too, Granny. Love you lots.

Well, creative bloggers out there, I hope you feel inspired today. Inspired to smile, remember and enjoy those special people around you. And inspired to make something special. Something for you, something for someone else, just something.

We like to make stuff. We craft. We love it.

Good for us.

:o)