Celebrating St. Martin

Olá! Today I decided that next Saturday I'll participate in a craft show. I had nothing prepared and I needed to think of a very, very simple project inspired by the craft show theme: chestnuts... Yes... Chestnuts...

November is the month of the chestnut in Portugal. We celebrate St. Martin's Day preparing a magusto festivity. In that day you will find us eating roasted chestnuts and drinking água pé -(literal translation is "foot water") - a traditional and very mild alcoholic drink.

All this is stated by a a typical Portuguese saying:
É dia de São Martinho;
comem-se castanhas, prova-se o vinho.
(It is St. Martin's Day,
we'll eat chestnuts, we'll taste the wine.)

We will celebrate St Martin's day next 11th November and, as always, we expect very shinny days!! At that time the weather is always different from the other Autumn days... Very good and warm. That's why we call this period Verão de S. Martinho - St. Martin's Summer. The legend tells that on a very cold and rainy day Martin, a Roman soldier, cut off half of his cloak and offered one part to a beggar that was dying of the cold. Then the sun begun shinning, by God's intervention, and Martin was able to return home safely. All our children learn this legend at school!!

So... I needed a very easy project that could be made by someone that does not know how to embroider... Trying to find out what to do, I took a look at my working surface and I found my favorite materials: burel (a Portuguese felted wool) and cork. With them I knew I could create a chestnut!!! And the next step was, as I usually do, trying to find a simple pattern. As my drawing skills are terrible, usually I google images using words like "chestnut coloring"... And I always find very simple drawings that children use to color... Of course, in the end, I never make like the pattern I found, but  for me it is a very powerful inspiration source!!

So I had the materials and the pattern...

Portuguese materials: cork fabric and burel

And decided to make a coaster using the chestnut pattern and Portuguese materials. But I made a mistake (not for the first time...) and it ended up very small... What a pity!! Next time I will make beautiful coasters to decorate my S. Martinho's table!!

100% Portuguese chestnut

So, I had to think of something else... And I remembered of making something to decorate the table, maybe we can call it a centerpiece...

Using the same materials, I applied the chestnut into a burel piece and with a very thin cork strip I created a simple finishing all around.

Chestnut inspiration!!

It's not perfect but I believe it will be a good project for someone that does not know how to embroider and is not familiar with these materials... But I confess I would still prefer the chestnut coaster...

Did you know that these two colors of burel only use the natural colors of wool, no dying materials?

Mending Moth Holes

Stitched by ninimakes

Oh my goodness, isn't this stitched moth by ninimakes absolutely gorgeous?! I adore her idea of stitching a beautiful moth atop the moth holes in her wool sweaters - and they are so breathtakingly stitched they look like the real thing has alighted on your shoulder.... These moths would also make lovely magnets, brooches, or bows for fall-themed gifts.

She provides her own lovely moth illustrations and a full tutorial on her blog. Beautiful work, ninimakes!

Christmas Countdown #18: Upcycled Wool

Stitched by ADKnits

I love the texture of this plaid wool felt and how well it works with the white stitching - lovely, ADKnits!

Working by the pool

stitched by woolly fabulous

I'm loving these chunky stitches and bright colors. If wool didn't make me itch so much, I might have to go out and grab some.