A photo-filled post today of the lovely things I was tempted by from
Magie Relph's African Fabric shopat her
workshop with Dayspringers on Friday.
Gorgeous indigo-dyed Shwe-Shwe fabrics (which are very stiff but after a gentle pre-wash will be soft and wonderful).
Handmade buttons and recycled glass beads - I think these look like seaglass and I'm going to string them together to wear as a bracelet.
I couldn't resist this fairly-traded Bolgatanga basket from one of the "weaving villages" near Bolgatanga in northern Ghana - well, I needed something to carry my fabrics and beads in.
Finally, these are recycled plastic beads, still on the sticks used to form them, aren't they lovely?
I have plans for the red and blue set but the blue and turquoise set could be yours.
I'm having a little African giveaway!To win this beautiful set of beads on a stick just leave me a comment telling me what you would use them for, whether a piece of jewellery or in a textile project, or just to admire...what would you do with them if they were your very own? All my lovely followers get a free extra entry and if you blog about the giveaway and link back here I'll give you another entry too.
Don't forget to make sure I have some way of contacting you if you win, I'll pull the winner out of my Bolgatanga basket (and sorry the giveaway isn't one of those but my finances didn't run to it) on Wednesday 16th June so you've got some thinking time.
Just loved those blue African fabrics Lis, will look forward to seeing what you make with them. Have checked out Magie' web site and was delighted to see some Lana lapu fabrics. They are beautiful, several years ago I made a quilt using those fabrics.
ReplyDeleteYvonne "the rag picker"
I was lucky enough to recieve 8 fat quarters of those shwe shwe fabrics from South Africa in a swap on flickr a while back. I love them but haven't settled on what to use them in yet. Nice to get fabrics that a little different. Aren't those beads pretty! They would be nice made into necklace maybe. Love your basket too!!
ReplyDeleteI love the basket - does Magie sell them online???
ReplyDeleteThe beads would look lovely incorporated into a bag somehow - I'm a bit of a bag nut!!
Gill
Oh, what lovely beads. They would be pretty useful as ends of strings, used in jackets and shirts for my children.
ReplyDeleteI hope I'll be the lucky one!
ellusillu[at]gmail[dot]com
I would admire them for hours and wait for them to tell me what they should become.
ReplyDeleteJust love your post, Lis!! You have a great taste in fabrics and jewelry!!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy! And greetings from the Netherlands!
Boy, what would I do with such lovely beads?
ReplyDeleteFirst: love them and stare at them for a long time.
Second: put them in a place were I can see them all day long (this for some time)
Third: think, think, think and think again about were to use them. Difficult they are so beautiful and I can't chose and don't want to make a mistake were to use them.
But most likely I will use them in my BOM Under the sea. They have a brilliant sea-colour. And I definately would find a spot on that quilt were they would blink and I can enjoy them longer.
Wow, I forgot to mention that I am a follower already and that I am going to spread the word about your thrilling give-away.
ReplyDeleteHi Lis I have just the thing in mind for those beads I'd have an excuse to buy myself some nice silver chunky beads to make a necklace and bracelet mixing the 2 lots of beads,lovely fabric and I love that basket bag by the way.Hmmm shame the budget didn't quite stretch to that for the giveaway.Lol!
ReplyDeleteGeorgie x
Oooh what lovely beads. I first thought I'd use them to embellish a bag, then I changed my mind and thought a necklace would be good. I thinnk I'd change it again if I saw them in 'person'! Please enter me in your draw if you don't mind the same person winning another of your giveaways. I won't be offended if you don't inlude me :-)
ReplyDeleteTeresa x
Oh forgot to say that I would love to be part of your bead "give away" and if lucky enough to have my name pulled from your charming bag would use them on my diamond wall hanging I am making for the Picton Quilters challenge.
ReplyDeleteYvonne " the rag picker"
And I am a follower.
ReplyDeleteLovely beads, gorgeous fabrics! I think I would have to showcase that bead in a piece of jewelry or as an embellishment. Too beautiful not to have it front and centre.
ReplyDeleteTerrific fabric - looking forward seeing what you use it for. Gorgeous beads, I would use them in a bag or jewelry to embellish myself. I love your blog. :-)
ReplyDeleteoh Lis, what a beautiful collection . Love that blue fabric. What would I do with the beads? Well this time I would be completly selfish and make a little mini quilt probably round with blue and turquoise beads, all for me, to hang on the wall near my blue plates.
ReplyDeleteYou know I'm a follower. Should i change my name? As I see you have another Teresa.
ReplyDeleteWhat delightful items you found. I hope you'll share the bracelet you plan to make. Sounds lovely.
ReplyDeleteThe plastic beads are amazing. Did you get a chance to see them make them? Yumm. I think I'd like to make a bracelet with them too, but then they'd also be cute in an embellished quilt, or ATC.
SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com
I've posted about your giveaway on my site where I share insights on contests & giveaways:
ReplyDeletehttp://sewcalgalcontestinfo.blogspot.com/
SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com
The beads are so beautiful. I'd make a bracelett out of them.
ReplyDeleteThe beads are beautiful. If I did win the give away I think I would like to put them in some kind of bracelet.
ReplyDeleteElaine
I love those beads. I'm not a jewelry person, so I wouldn't make a necklace or bracelet. Or maybe I would -- a necklace and earings. I could get into that!
ReplyDeleteOr the other possibility is to use them as part of the embellishment attached to the zipper pull when I get around to making some of those bags.
I really love the indigo blues. The stiffness comes from the resist used to create the patterns. If it washed out really easily it is probably a starch based resist rather than a wax resist. I'm going to have to check out the shop for those.
b/
If these were my very own, I would leave them on the stick just to admire, and place them in a special spot in my living room (the colors will look lovely with my late father's peacock feathers display). Later, I may use them as embellishment on a purse textile project. Thank you for this unique giveaway. mlwright29 (at) hotmail (dot) com
ReplyDeletebeautiful beads that would definitely be used on an art textile in my studio !
ReplyDeleteI'm a follower so please throw my name in the hat again - thank you!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Kerry
kerrykatiecakeskeb43@gmail.com
Gorgeous beads! I would use them in a crazy quilting project if I was lucky enough to win.
ReplyDeleteI love all the new goodies you got - what a trip that must have been!
Hugs,
Kerry
kerrykatiecakeskeb43@gmail.com
I follow!
ReplyDeleteSheilaC
I love all of your goodies!!!
ReplyDeleteI would make a bracelet with those beads.... add some fun coordinating beads... be so pretty!
SheilaC
Love the Africa trip treasures - beautiful colors.
ReplyDeleteI have a sewing basket that lost its original beads. These beads would be just perfect to bring my sewing basket back to its original design.
i follow you
ReplyDeletei would use the shweshwe fabric to make kitchen items, am thinking potholders, mittens and embelish some towels and blue happens to be my theme.
ReplyDeletei would look very preety in the jewelery.
The fabric, the basket, the beads I love them all. I have some fabrics from Rwanda and Kenya, but nothing like yours, mine is very primitive looking & I don't know what to do with it!
ReplyDeleteI think the beads would make a lovely bracelet because I am addicted to bracelets!
I just don't know what I'd use them for, maybe just leave them on the stick and admire them, be inspired by them, lovely colours! Then again, I could pass them onto my friend Mary who is a fabulous beader and who could really do wonderful things with them :)
ReplyDeleteHi Lis I just so love that fabric. The Blues are gorgeous. I have some of those little buttons but they are Blue cats and are stitched onto my HariBako pincushions (2).
ReplyDeleteNow one of those beads would go onto my Phone as some bling. Now I live down by the beach and blue and green are perfect colours. Love the Bolgatanga basket Have a good Holiday Monday
Cheers
Lynne
Hey Lis, how can I miss this post. I love the African indigo fabric. I have some of them and would love to win more - Thanks for a great giveaways - Hugs Nat
ReplyDeleteOh those fabrics are to die for! Mouth watering actually. Now the beads...I can see these on Christmas ornies, nicely made of course. Maybe hand quilted in a big stitch, batik fabrics? Hmm, sounds good to me! Thank you for a lovely giveaway, Elaine
ReplyDeleteechristian851@gmail.com
If you choose to not ship international, I have a friend in New Zealand that I would love these to go to please, that is if I were to win, lol!
My husband has several photos from his time working in east Africa, that need to be framed in small picture frames. I could take a really long piece of narrow ribbon, string on the beads, and as I wrap the ribbon around the frame, pull up a bead in random order so they pop up around the frame. (I hope that makes sense). It would be nice to have the African connection of the beads in the frame. Thank you for such a unique giveaway :)
ReplyDeletensue21702 at gmail dot com
I am a follower also. Love the shades of blue in your fabric. Almost too pretty to use :)
ReplyDelete