Getting my Afrikaans on

So the grand old NG Christmas Market. Boy, did I get my Afrikaans on. We set up Thursday morning in the bucketing down rain, running to and fro from my car with bags and boxes of things. Thankfully I'd wrapped everything extra carefully in all sorts of plastic so it was all in tact. Actually I didn't wrap anything at all, my super helpful friends, Vix and Wends did all of that in a mad panic the night before as I tried to finish off some cushions, which stubbornly refused to take on the right shape. The market was the usual hodge-podge of goodies, from some really great (and cheap) food (koeksusters, vetkoek, caramel cakes, ginger biscuits, curry & rice, pickles of all sorts), succulent plants potted in all manner of quirky containers, cupcake kits, the usual shabby chic type stuff, recycled and upcycled bits and bobs (www.kisma.co.za), and so on and so forth. I can't say I made a huge amount of sales, I think people were looking for little stocking fillers at low prices, which was not what I went for, but I did get a bunch of encouraging comments and met some really great people: fellow crafters, shop-owners from the surrounding areas, community volunteers, and visitors from overseas. Yay for new friends! Some of my craft highlights: Mareli Els' handcrafted silver and copper jewelry, the Grahamstown Woodworker's offerings, beautiful and useful things from yellow-wood, kiaat, and jacaranda. I also stumbled upon some creations from Mitat, who make a range of bespoke home decor products (see www.mitat.co.za). All in all it was a good, though rain-drenched, experience, with some interesting opportunities that have come out of it. More to follow! 


By the way, this delightful oom in the picture (above) is wearing, wait for it, a lined waistcoat made from a collection of ties that belonged to his father. :)

Tweed

Working on some tweed-covered, felt-decorated journals at the moment in aid of building up my stock for the NG Christmas Market. I like how the tweed is really textured and the felt kind of sinks into the fabric when I stitch over it. I must say, some frustration has been experienced in the process, such as having the fabric slip and slide this way and that when trying to stitch over the felt. I'm a rather impatient seamstress, and as soon as something doesn't work I'm ready to abandon it and start on something else. The many overflowing boxes in my cupboard bear testament to that. However, I'm determined to make these things work, no glitches, pulls, tucks or mishaps.