Inspiration from children

Starting from mid July, my family started a children's classics reciting class in the morning.

My nephew and niece are 3 to 4 years old, and we believe it's high time that they started reciting classical literature such as Analects of Confucius, the Book of Changes, the Holy Bible, to name just a few. The notion of "classics education" has been getting wider recognition over the years in Taiwan and China. Numerous parents reported children's amazing retention and avidity to reading as a result of reciting classics. Excellent school performance in all subjects and development of positive personality are its additional value that parents and teachers can't be more satisfied with.

How could I, both an aunt and English teacher in the class, let go of this golden opportunity to get creative?

This month, I made a chair runner, a tissue paper holder, 6 sets of colorful alphabet flash cards, and tiny bears serving as gifts if the children pass the reciting quiz tomorrow.



We put a water jar and small cups on this wooden chair. I thought it crude and made it a runner, which is my very first original design. I love the bows at the bottom. They are a pure accident because I attached the strips to tie onto the chair’s feet, to avoid any pulls from children. They turned out too short for tying but just right for making a bow tie. The back fabric is an orange gingham, making the runner reversible.

I also made a Cleenex holder. Doesn’t it look neat? There’s a draw string on the top so I can tie and hang it wherever there’s a hook. Finally, some teeny tiny bears, or cubs, I should say. ^^
The smaller they are, the harder it is to turn right sides out.
The chubby orange one looks funny. I added 0.5 cm around the pattern, in hope of being able to fill the stuffing more easily. Later I decided to just stick to the original pattern. ^^ I should have brought the pattern to the copy machine and enlarge it as a whole. But I was too lazy. Haha~


This is a wonderful start for me. Look forward to any further inspirations to make something new!

Happy Chinese New Year

It's Chinese New Year again! Everyone is spending the holiday with their family. I'm no exception! On New Year's Eve, we sat around a round table and had a hearty meal together. In recent years, we usually had hot pot. And by the way, my family is vegetarian. There is no specific menu like Thanksgiving. Each family's New Year's Eve meal is different. The pivotal matter is to eat together, which we call "Wei Lu" in Chinese. Family reunion is an important Chinese New Year tradition. Being able to eat with the whole family makes meal all the more delicious. Below are pictures of the meal and my family. (I'm the one in white.^^*)



On the second day of the New Year, I visited my old friend Tina, who gave birth to her first baby girl last month. I made the baby girl a pink teddy bear which has a selvage bib tied around its neck.











I also gave Mandy, who went to visit Tina with me, a bag you could see from my last post. She received the bag with alacrity because she said that's what exactly she needed. She planned to buy one such bag at a store.
So far it's been a wonderful Chinese New Year. This year is the year of tiger. The word "tiger" sounds similar to "benediction" or "blessing" in Chinese. As we see friends,neighbors or relatives during the Chinese New Year, we'd say some goods words pertaining to "tiger" to express our best wishes.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!祝大家虎年有福氣!(台)

Snow White

Just finished this white bear, and I call it Snow White.
It's my first attempt making a fixed bear.
The assembling of fabric pieces are more complicated than the jointed ones.
Fortunately enough, I got it done, and it turns out alright!

Sewing the nose and mouth is the most exciting part.
Because it's the last step before the bear is done, and
I hardly ever know how it is going to turn out.
The smile looks a little coy.
I'm satisfied with it and didn't have to do a second time.

I'd like to make her a dress.
Not very sure how to do that, though.
But I'll catch up on this when it's available.

Where did we begin?

I'm really bold to join this because I'm so new in quilting. I'd like to thank Robyn for staring this "game". Like I had said in the previous post, I started all these sewing things with teddy bear making when I was in college. Every bear was hand sewed, and I gave them away to my friends. Somehow I think that was the purpose of making bears: to bring happiness to others. The process of sewing was a pleasure in itself to me.

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****

As for quilting, I started out making patchwork bags and purses since they were the dominant type of quitling projects in Taiwan. Fewer people started out with quilts. (That is so different from the west. Seems to me that everybody makes quilts.) I did not have time for classes, so I shopped online for a bag material package which came in with picutre tutorial. I began without even knowing how to make paper templates or the need for ironing after stitching. Also I had no idea for hand quilting, so I used back stitch instead of running stitch all the way~ Without knowing how, perhaps it was the love for my Mom that sustained me (Yes, the bag was made for her.), I finished the bag in 7 days, in 2008. Now my Mom carries the bag whenever she goes out on her scooter. Here is the picture:

A very handy bag, all sewed by hand.

Later, I found out about quilter's blog and was very much inspired by quilting experts and their quilts. I wanted to make one for myself. I bought a Janome J820, a machine for beginners. I surfed the Internet for details and techniques of hand quilting, creating mitered corner, making bias strips, and so on. I also bought my first patchwork book, copied the pattern and made my very first quilt. The fabrics were machine stitched together, but hand quilted. It was a simple quilt but took me more than 6 months to finish because I was indecisive about the size and color arrangement.

--> My brother holding the quilt for me.

-->A close-up of my favorite heart-shaped applique.

I've been quilting for some one year now. And I've made various projects as gifts for my family and friends. I regard quilting as a great source of alacrity and confidence, both for the maker and receiver. And sometimes it is also a way for me to run away from the reality. : p

What I want to do next is free motion quilting. And my primary choice of learning is still through the Internet and books. Alright, that's as much as I have to tell. Thank you for taking your time to read my story and I look forward to be inspired by many more quilters.

給好友的泰迪熊 Teddy for a dear friend

其實我在國中沒上過什麼家政課
因為學校是升學導向
所以除了穿針以外 我實在沒什麼縫紉基礎
但大學時代接觸了泰迪熊
才開啟我的手作之路
現在就馬上po個泰迪熊吧!
它叫作阿飛 是去年給我一個好朋友的聖誕禮物

I actually started sewing from doing teddy bears when I was in college.
Before that, I don't even know how to tie a knot on a thread.
But somehow those cute bears grow on me and I can't stop making them.

This teddy bear I made for a dear friend last Christmas.
Yes, here in Taiwan, we also celebrate Christmas.
Unlike Americans, we don't have family reunions on Christmas, though.

My friend really loved it and that recouped all the time and money devoted.