Create with us In our shop at 241 Thorndon Quay or on our websites: www.nancys.co.nz - unique embroidery & patchwork kits www.theyarnstudio.co.nz - gorgeous knitting yarns, patterns & needles www.jenniferpudney.com - fun needlepoint, felt kits & fabrics www.strandnz.com - for crewel yarn & kitsets 241 Thorndon Quay 04) 473 4047 PO Box 245, Wellington 6140 FON Newsletter No 103, September 2013 0800 783 639 [email protected] What is it about spring and lots of colourful bulbs. Time for frocks for little girls and big girls colour that makes us feel so spring cleaning and brightening and make matching sunhats to good? The flowers are bursting up the house with new cushions. go with them. out and there is the promise of Start planning pretty summer Mary Scandinavian Christmas Style Scandinavian or Nordic style is very attractive and fashionable today because it’s rustic, minimalist and cozy at the same time. Scandinavian style is amazing for Christmas décor as Scandinavian people know what a real winter is. Natural wood, black and white, fir tree wreaths and rustic lanterns compose a classical Nordic décor. Add red berries, fabric tree ornaments, stockings and carpets. Nature touches look amazing: natural wood accessories, tree branches, fir tree decorations, pine cone accessories and the place will get a cozy and inviting touch. Minimalism is the motto of Scandinavian Christmas design, get inspired! Because it is dark and cold the Scandinavian countries have all developed their own traditions to brighten up their mid-winter. In Sweden, Christmas begins with After the festive Christmas Eve Norway’s traditional Christmas the annual Saint Lucia Day on dinner, someone dresses up as customs include Nisse, a gnome or December 13. Lucia herself was Tomte (Christmas gnome) who an elf guarding animals. It is said in Christian and died for her faith. according to Swedish myth lives on Norway that Nisse can have goat- Usually, the eldest girl in the family a farm or in the forest. Tomte looks like features (Christmas Buck, or portrays St Lucia, puts on a white a little like Santa Claus and hands Julebukk in Norwegian). Children get robe in the morning and is allowed out the presents while doing funny bowls of a certain type of porridge to wear a crown full of candles. She rhymes. Unfortunately, modern ready for him - if they don’t, he will serves her parents Lucia buns and Christmas is quickly catching up play tricks on them. coffee or mulled wine. in Sweden and Tomte is beginning The idea of Julebukk is very old Christmas Eve: Swedish locals form to lose his original identity to the and was most likely known by the processions to the church with lit commercial “Santa” figures. Vikings. In earlier times during candles on Christmas Eve, in some Watch out when you spend Christmas in Norway, one person places. Christmas in Denmark. During dressed in goatskin (carrying a A little before that, Christmas trees Christmas the mischievous Danish goat’s head!) would come to the are set up, often about two days elf Nisse plays pranks on people. Christmas celebration unannounced before Christmas. The trees and Nisse often lives in old farmhouses and act as if they were dying shortly homes are decorated in seasonal and wears gray woolen clothes, red afterwards. spirit with gingerbread biscuits, bonnet and stockings and white It did not take long for Christians Christmas decorations and flowers clogs. As a good elf, Nisse generally in Norway (and the rest of such as the Julstjärna (Poinsettia), helps people on the farms and is Scandinavia) to associate the goat red tulips, and red or white Amaryllis. good with children but plays jokes with the devil. They then used it A popular Christmas tradition in during the holiday season. On only during celebrations and these Sweden is to serve Risgryngrot, Christmas Eve in Denmark, many customs were later forbidden by the special rice porridge with one families leave a bowl of rice pudding church and government. A much almond in it. The person finding it or porridge for him so that he is tamed-down form of the tradition gets to make a wish, or is believed friendly to them and keeps his jokes remains to this day. to get married the coming year (this within limits. varies between families). 1 PROJECT Cushions We have a lovely range of slightly heavier linen and cotton mix fabrics that would be perfect for cushions. Another idea would be to take a pattern from one fabric as the inspiration for a felt and stitching One idea is to take the pattern on design on plainer fabric. the fabric and cut out felt shapes in Ths lovely linen mix fabric comes the same colours (you can iron on with a natural or a black background. fusible webbing such as vliesofix Three oblongs cut from yellow felt on to the back) and stitch on with have been stitched on to natural a running stitch in a matching linen with a running stitch between thread. Embellish with more felt and lines of running stitch in Strand yarn embroidery stitches such as french in Orange (365) and purple. knots. Linen mix fabrics 34.95/metre Re-cover a Directors Chair If you have never done a furniture Sew the seat back. “fix-up” project, this is a great one Finish all four edges by using the zig to start with. It’s just some simple zag stitch or overlock around all 4 sewing. sides. You will be able to cover one chair 1. Sew a 1cm hem along both long with just 1/2 a metre of fabric. sides. Usually, your director’s chair will 2. Fold your piece in half (right sides come with the seat and back pieces together) and sew the short sides and you can use them as a pattern. together with a 1.5cm seam. To stop the chair back from slipping, 3. Turn your fabric right side out and make it like a pocket to go over the sew a 4 cm seam (that will be where top. the back seat “poles” will go). Remember to add seam and hem allowances. Now it’s time to put everything together. Slide your dowel rod into Sew the chair seat. the seat “dowel rod pockets” and 1. Finish the edges of your fabric then slide into position. (Note: you 3. Fold over the side edges 7cm first by using zig zag stitch, or will need slack in your fabric so do and sew one seam 1cm from the overlock, around all 4 edges. this with your seat slightly folded). edge and another seam 2cm from 2. Fold the long edges over 1cm Next slide your seat back into the edge to reinforce. This creates and using a straight stitch, sew your position. the pocked for your dowel rod to go hem. Canvas Airplane fabric $38.95/metre through. 2 Scandinavian Christmas Style continued The first Sunday in December (also Christmas in Iceland is an arrives 13 days before Christmas called the First Advent) starts the interesting experience as this and then the others follow, one each Finnish Christmas season. Many country has many old traditions. day. After Christmas, they leave one children use advent calendars that Expect no fewer than 13 Icelandic by one. count down the remaining days to Santa Clauses! In Iceland, they are The Icelandic Christmas season Christmas Eve. called jólasveinar (“Yuletide Lads”; lasts 26 days. A special Icelandic December 13, the day of Saint singular: jólasveinn). Their parents custom for children is to put a shoe Lucia, is celebrated in every town are Grýla, a mean old woman who in the window from December 12 with a candle-crowned young girl. drags off naughty children, and until Christmas Eve. If they have Essentials on Christmas Eve in Leppalúði, who is not as mean. The been good, one of the “Santas” Finland are Christmas mass, and origin of these “Santas” is centuries leaves a gift - bad children receive a a visit to a Finnish sauna. Many old, and each has its own name, potato. Finnish families also visit cemeteries character and role. to remember the dead and have Nowadays during Christmas in porridge for lunch (with a hidden Iceland, their function is to come to almond in it - the finder has to sing a town bearing gifts and candy (and a song.) prank or two). The first jólasveinn We have a FREE pattern booklet with 3 different stocking patterns in to give away with the purchase of MillaMia wool. Or make a Swedish Create your Own Scandinavian Style Christmas inspired To go with this look, we have some beautiful pure linen Christmas fabrics dress with from Stof, a Danish company. The linen has a wonderful drape and would this free be perfect as a table cloth, but also great to piece as a simple long table pattern from runner for the centre of the table. To go with the red on natural linen, there is Millmia.com also black on natural, a plain natural and red to co-ordinate. Hearts, daisies, trees and raindeer are featured. $36.95/metre 150cm wide Horn Quilt Exhibition Taupo Symposium 2013 Congratulations to all the winners, especially our own FON’s who have won prizes; Lyn White for the Challenge “Make A Statement” with Speed Kills, the landscape was influenced by her class here at Nancy’s with Sue Wademan. We are lucky to have Lyn’s quilt here on display for you to see. Isabel Hicks (Anna’s Mother) for both Best Traditional Quilt and Best Hand Quilting with a glorious Golden Baltimore.