Nailed it...I think!

 Several years ago I went to Craft Alive on a very hot day. I think the craft show was held in January during a heatwave and the venue it was held in had no aircon but huge fans that just blew hot air around. Anyway, I saw a lady working on a craft that I had never seen before and I was quite intrigued. However, I was finding the heat to be overwhelming and had to get outside to try and cool off so I quickly bought a couple of patterns and some tools in the hope that I could find some tutorials on how to do the craft of Japanese Meshwork - fabric weaving.

As it turned out I couldn't find any tutorials at the time so the patterns and tools got pushed to the back of the craft cupboard only to be resurrected this year. I was determined to at least give fabric weaving a try before I gave away the patterns and tools. As it turned out I found a tutorial by the lady I saw at Craft Alive. Her name is Ann Kuzia and this is the tutorial. Finally I was able to start understanding the process and started off on my first project.....

....which wasn't woven correctly as I couldn't work out how to get the tumbling blocks next to each other. I then found other tutorials online such as the ones by Mister Domestic, The House that Lars Built,  Sew Much More where you can see the finished weaving incorporated into a tote bag and Perennial Pastimes which has another excellent tutorial and helpful resources at the end of the post. 

Even with the help of these resources I still got confused at times but eventually I finished the pink and green project. 

Then I decided to work with the colours of our kitchen which has green tiles and red accessories. What a mistake that was as I was nearly tearing my hair out working out how to do those tumbling blocks correctly. In the end I decided enough was enough and one of these days I will turn it into something presentable to stick a vase on...after a bit of a clean up of course as I can see so many loose threads in the above photo. 

Anyway, I am happy I gave Japanese Meshwork a try as the patterns and tools had been sitting in my craft cupboard for many years. Thankfully this year's Craft Alive will be held in May in a different venue so the heat won't be an issue. 

Thankfully it is finally cooling down after the dreadful humidity recently when so many areas nearby were flooded. We only had water under the house after approx. 12 inches of rain fell but that was nothing compared to the intense rain that fell elsewhere as well as in New South Wales to the south of us. I hope everyone is coping with the aftermath as it won't be an easy time ahead. People are resilient though and are quite amazing at how they pull through. So big hugs if you were in the firing line.

Have a great weekend everyone!