New Lake Postcard and Irish Convict Bonnet

I finished the New Lake Postcard. I used some decorative stitches and did the satin stitching around the border. I am mailing it to Pam who lives in NC for a swap that I am in that Nicola Brown set up. Nicola is a wonderful fibre artist. Her blog is at http://clasheen.wordpress.com/

She is organizing some workshops this year, and one of them, I am definitely attending....Sheila Smith is giving the workshop, and I wouldn't miss it for the world. I will have to take a bus to Dublin, which is a four and half hour trip, and then another bus to County Carlow, which is another hour and a half, but meeting Sheila is well worth the journey. Sheila Smith's latest book called Felt to Stitch is brilliant!

I also finished my bonnet for the Irish convict that I adopted named Judith Butler. I wrote about her in an earlier post. I sewed a bonnet from a pattern that was given to me by Christina Henri, who is organizing the Roses From the Heart Project which will help to remember all the Irish convicts who were transported to Australia. Judith died in 1831, and she was sentenced to 7 years in Australia for stealing a pig. I am hoping that my bonnet will honour her memory. You can visit Christina's site at http://www.christinahenri.com.au/Christina_01.swf

I used my machine embroidery for the bonnet, and chose to make a heart for her name and when she died, and placed a big red rose in the inset in the back of the bonnet. I added smaller pink roses which I hand sewed onto the bonnet. I am mailing it out tomorrow to Christina in Tasamania. She is coming to Ireland in 2010 to speak about the program. I gave her the names of local newspapers and suggested that she try to get on Pat Kenny's Late Show. I hope to meet her when she comes here.