Samines

I help your hands create something beautiful

Tag: Onlineworkshop

  • Preloved Jubilee Needlecase

    Why I created Preloved Jubliee Needlecase.

    As we know it’s the Queens Platinum Jubliee this year 2022 and aren’t we happy that she has been on the throne for the past 70 years, I wonder what it’s like for her to have seen so much change in the span of a lifetime.

    I knew a few months ago that I wanted to make a handmade embroidery needlecase, but I had been waiting for my wrist to improve so I could do a major piece of stitching without it hurting, I have been doing physio each day, thankfully I have improved enough in my range of movement to drop down to 5 a day, when I first started physio exercises from the consultant I was doing them 8 per day and then I carried them on when I started having hand therapy.

    I looked on Instagram and Pinterest for many posts to see the sweet pieces being made with flowers and blanket stitches around the circles and the use of blanket stitch for the edges and I was conscious that if I followed suit the piece could look similar and I like to be different in my creations, this gives me the push to create new pieces. This got me thinking and I thought what could I design that was for the current day, the Queen, she’s current and it’s her platinum Jubliee this year and she came to the throne in 1952 which was around the time of The Festival of Britain and I knew that was it! I had my inspiration. Phew….

    I then remembered my sketchbook from my BTEC Fashion that I worked on using Lucian and Robin Day’s designs to create my own which was part of a 50s project to develop design work in one of my classes. So I looked on the above social media accounts, well actually Pinterest and looked up their designs and I came across one with a lop sided circle with straight lines coming out, then their were circles on the end of the straight lines, but when I came to start the design, (I didn’t translate to paper, just straight onto the fabric). I realised after cutting out a circle in jeans material and placing it onto the cut pieces of the jeans legs, along with the stitches, that I had used the middle of the circle as the centre of the design and not towards the outer circle, it’s still a good design and I believe it works well for the front of the needle case. I used split stitch for the straight lines and seeding stitch to create the circles at the end of the outer lines, my colour-ways are red, white and blue as these are the colours that were given at the Blackheath embroidery group for our stitched postcard, (which I haven’t started stitching, but I have the design work done, so at least I do not need to stress about that) and these colours are the colours for the Union Jack, so instantly the project would be recognisable. On the inside if the needle case I have created an extra design feature, so when you come to stitch the piece you know that it is for the Queens Jubilee, I am so satisfied that I sewed this piece and I was able to create it.

  • Lizzie

    I really enjoyed working with Lizzie, she said “the workshop was great for mindfulness and bringing her into a state of calmness”.

    I gave Lizzie a private workshop experience before the actual workshop of Samines Red as she was stuck in doors with Covid, she choose to rest and heal herself before being fit enough to come back into the world again. During the workshop Lizzie decided to sew all her petals together to make one large corsage flower and I think it has worked out well.

    It was great to see her on zoom, I love zoom as it has opened up the world for people to connect who are from different countries. The experience of the online workshops are quite different to that of an actual in person workshop and I love the online experience as I get to meet new people from across the world, who would not have the opportunity to attend a live workshop, especially during this time as we are navigating out of the pandemic into a new world where we have to live with Covid and the waves that has and will produce in the future.

  • Anyone for Aqua?

    I swooped my swim for aqua aerobics on Wednesday 9th Feb, as I have been cat sitting for a friend in Peckham and as I was on holiday it felt right to do something different, so I went along to Peckham Pulse. Lorraine the instructor was brilliant and worked us hard and I was thankful that I have been swimming twice a week for physio reasons for my ankles, knees and wrist. 

    On Tuesday 8th I had tried a salsa video session and it flared up fatigue in both ankles and knees, with the aqua I experienced sharp pains in my knees, (I have been experiencing this since the accident) and it a much better experience. I was able to keep up and then the weights came out and I realised I was on another game changer and that with gripping in both hands to keep the weights under water will improve my right hand grip and I will know if it has worked when I see Joydan at my next hand physio appointment.

  • Orville Wearing Peach Flower Crown

    Meet Orville who is wearing a flower crown made in peach lining and created by Sarah who attended Flower Crown Red back in July 2021.

    Looking through my posts I have seen that I managed to blog in August, todays blog is brought to you written on a laptop and I am managing to touch type.

    For the past month I have been swimming twice each week and have manged to swim a good few laps, 16 in total for the past 3 times, this is encouraging all round as I am getting stronger and increasing the steps I am walking. I have seen from swimming that I am gaining more strength in my wrist, I am still writing with my left hand and when I write with my right hand, (I am right handed) it is scrawly and unrecognisable.

    I was booming and busting, as my physio had said when I had my first session for my ankle physio, the accident that happened in July saw me spraining my left ankle and breaking my right wrist and I was pushing myself too hard increasing my step count to soon, to the point that the days I was walking 8,000 to 10,000 steps, the next day saw me laid out on the couch recovering and limping when walking.

  • If I could show you, would you like to make your own Flower Crown Red?

    I was in my happy place making these flower petals, 5 flowers they were made into for my next live online workshop in teaching how to make your own flower crown red.

    I am quite excited in showing this technique as it is quick and easy and a new flower garland will be made in a few hours, so if someone is going to a festival, they can make it either on the day itself or if they were super organised the day or few days before.