February's Word of the Month #WAMSAL2023

#WAMSAL2023

February

February - the Month of love... Well that's what the grating card and chocolate manufacturers would have us think as we celebrate St Valentines day.

But, what does February really make you feel and think?
February is supposedly the last month of winter and there are signs of spring beginning to reveal themselves if you look carefully.

The first snowdrops are all ready out with their tiny white heads hanging gracefully over their fresh green stems - the local churchyard has a glorious sweeping carpet of them, as do many of the road sides along the old road over the tops that was once a packhorse trail. I had heard once that the reason for this was traveling people and gypsies many years ago would plant snowdrop bulbs as they went so as they grew and spread they could harvest bunches to sell along their route - I hope that is true, its a wonderfully romantic tale.

Not far behind are the crocus and daffodils adding their splash of pinks and purples and all the shades of yellow - and I always seem to buy more flowers for the house in February and March, almost trying to encourage spring to hurry up and arrive - but February can also supprise us with Snow and Ice, heavy rain, wind and mud - It is said if February has snow and ice at the start, there is more winter ahead than behind - If it thunders in February, there will be frost in April, but if there is Fog in February we will have frost in May! I know I remember Easters where we had thick snow and others when I got sunburn!
I love the folklore around weather.

Imbolc or St Brigids day is on the 1st February, it marks the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox - St Brigid is the patroness Saint of Ireland and worth looking up and reading about her story.

I often find I am at my lowest ebb in February - in past years when I have made those January resolutions, started the diet, joined the exercise group etc I often get to February feeling burned out and wondering why on earth I thought it was a good idea to take so much on - and inevitably I give up on most if not all of those goals.

This year - I am hoping that after spending January dreaming and embracing the cold dark months by not taking on those unattainable goals in the first place, taking a more considered approach to the whole season that February won't be quite such an endurance test!

And so, February's word is PLAN

As nature begins to make the first tentative steps into spring,  the sap beggins to rise in the sleeping trees and the buds of the new leaves begin to form, as the hybernating animals step out to look for food and a mate, then from the dreams we had last month, we wipe the sleep from our eyes and stretch our limbs and we can begin to formulate our plan for the coming year.

So I am asking the same questions...

What does February mean to you?
What images does it evoke?
Is there a colour you associate with February?
How does February make you feel?

You may be a huge fan of Valentines day, do meals and flowers and dates and chocolates, the colour of February for you may be red, evoke love and joy, or you might avoid it at all costs, have no interest in it whatsoever and have other significant events you celebrate, or maybe February is just another month to be endured until spring arrives. Make it relevant to YOU, not what social media, supermarkets and advertising tell you what it should be about.

Remember to take it at your own pace, and do no more than you have time or feel necessary - of course if you want to spend hours and hours on it, that is absolutely fine too!

This month I will be demonstrating couching.

Head over to my YouTube channel to see a demo and listen to my ramblings! 

(please understand I am very new to videoing myself - they will get better as I go along and I have joined a course to help me improve, but that was after filming this one!) 

https://youtu.be/ym_BgmtuQNc 

Welcome to #WAMSAL2023

Hello! And welcome to #WAMSAL2023! 

I have been plotting and planning, procrastinating and putting off - but sometimes you just have to say "sod it" and do the thing.

Who is up for a little stitch along? 

I wanted to make a start or a restart to my little JuicyFig business, but with all the to dos regarding Etsy at the moment, having no idea how to set up a website and looking for the perfect platform to set up my shop - well, it might take me a little longer than I anticipated - so to kick start myself I thought a nice gentle sew-along would be nice.

This is not a subscription or anything fancy, just somethingt I wanted to do myself and share with others, then I thought people might also like to join in as well. 

It is a  project, not a challenge. 

And - it is open to anyone at any time - I thought it would be nice to start in January and make it last a year, but it will be something you can do at any time.

It also won't be a strict "this is how it should be done" kind of project - basically I am trying to make a project even my own AuDHD brain can cope with.

So what is it?

It is a fabric book! 

Each month I am going to choose a word - you are welcome to use the same word, or choose a word that speaks to you personally.

The word is supposed to encapsulate that month - for me when I think about each months I have a a mental image, often a colour, a mood, a feeling or a desire of what I'd like that month to mean. 

Then, we will stitch a page of the book. You can incorporate the word, or suggest it as an abstract or literal image, and embellish it as much as you want or as much as time allows - if you have lots of time and want to work on it all month -- do! If you only have half an hour, then keep it simple. 

I will try and incorporate a particular stitch or technique with a tutorial so if you want to try you can do. 

At the end of the year we will then assemble the pages then the book with a wonderful slot technique paper book makers use and the amazing Anne Wood uses for her fabric books too.  (I think I have managed to work out how it's done with the amount of pages we will need)

The project is intended to be done by hand sewing, this way you take the time to slow down from the frantic pace of life. A machine sewing can be used if you want of to make certain bits quicker or easier, but it can all be done by hand if you don't own a machine, bondaweb and glue - all fine if it helps make it easier - and if you don't sew at all and don't want to - it could be done on a good quality paper! 

I will give a list of basic materials needed for what I will be doing each month, and a basic list to get you going. If you have scraps to use or even recycled textiles like clothes etc even better! (best of all if don't need to buy anything and use what you have - and keep your eye out in thrift stores and charity shops for amazing vintage supplies!) 

You can choose a colour scheme, make it bright, multicoloured, monochrome, whatever gives you joy

Each month I will be writing a blog post with my suggested word, explaining why I have chosen it, what it evokes for me - and a hashtag so you can share your work on Instagram or on my Facebook page 

#WAMSAL2023  #WordAMonthSewALong2023 

Interested?

I will be posting my First word etc in a few days but for now here are some suggested materials and equipment you may need.

Page fabric - pages will be approximately 13cm x 13cm this includes the seam allowance for when we assemble the book. 

You will need 16 (this makes a cover as well) in a woven fabric (not a stretch or knitted fabric) for stability. 

You could make these all the same fabric and colour or a different fabric and colour each month.

If you like to use an embroidery hoop you may need to cut them larger then trim to size after.

Scraps of other fabrics 

Embellishments - e.g. Buttons, lace, ribbons, rikrak, charms etc.

Sewing thread

Embroidery thread, crochet cotton, wool, whatever you have to hand

Bondaweb (not necessary but handy)

Pins

Sewing needles

Scissors

Embroidery hoop (not essential but may need one if you want to learn any of the embroidery stitches) 

Iron and ironing board/pad

Cup to tea or coffee.

So far January has been far busier than I anticipated so please be patient if I get a little behind.

Hopefully this week I will be doing a short video with January's word, what I will be making and some instructions on the stitch I am featuring this month for anyone unfamiliar with it. 

If you are joining in please show us your progress either on Instagram using the hashtag #WAMSAL2023. If people want me too I can also set up a Facebook page to share your work - just ask!

See you later in the week 

The season of mist and mellow fruitfulness...

It is hard to believe that only a couple of months ago most of the UK was in the grips of a heatwave. As I searched for the coolest clothes to wear and filled the freezer with ice pops it was inconceivable that before long I would be digging out my winter sweaters and buying an electric blanket! 

Autumn is a season of great contrast, it bridges the end of summer and the start of winter, with cold crisp mornings that take your breath away and dazzles your eyes as the sun sits lower in the sky. The leaves are a riot of shades from green, yellow, orange, red and brown, the hedgerows are filled with fruit and nuts, the woodlands and fields providing edible fingi to pick and non edible fungi to marvel at, the apples are abundant, and we search for conkers like they are precious treasure, filling our pockets. 

There is a sence of comfort that comes from preserving nature's harvest for the coming months.

I get me Sloe Gin and Beeswax book off the shelves, look through the pages and dream of my small holding and my still-room that I probably will never have, but it's still nice to dream.

Autumn is also a time for endings, the nights draw in and the days feel shorter, the warmth from the sun has gone, the trees become bare as the leaves fall and rot feeding the earth around them, small creatures stock their larders and fill up ready for a time when the ground will be hard and their food supplies become scarce, the rain comes more often and the ground slowly becomes saturated leading to flash floods that seam to occur more frequently and to more devastating effect that they used to - and of course this year in the UK we have the "cost of living crisis" and it has become too expensive to even heat our homes, cook those warming winter dishes we crave or even drive our cars! 

Currently I work a couple of different jobs, and one of them is very quiet this month, I rely on orders from one company and this month they haven't ordered anything. I am taking the opportunity to make a start on my new venture, well..it's more of a relaunch of an old venture but in a new way - I mentioned it briefly last time.

It feels perfect for Autumn, I feel like I am preparing for harder times with it, filling my larder in preparation for the months ahead so to speak. 

So on the days when the sun filters through and the days are crisp and dry I will embrace my hand knits and cosy boots, and when the weather is wet and muddy my wellies come out and my waterproofs, and inside we will wrap up in our patchwork quilts and knitted blankets, light the candles, eat hot carb filled soups and stews from our slow cooker and hunker down waiting for the dark months to end and spring to peep through once more.