Difficult students

Back into the classroom and full speed ahead.

I had forgotten how difficult some teenagers can be.  Well, not really difficult just testing.
I have picked up a 'Work Education' class.  That means those students who at this time are not ready to tackle an academic course.  By law in Queensland teenagers must either be learning or earning.  There are no dole payments if you are not engaged in either of these activities.  Sometimes this results in challenging students,  I got a class full.  Now I'm not saying they are bad or unable to learn, just challenging.  I like a challenge, but it means that I have to be super prepared before I go into that class room.

I have an e copy of a 16th C embroidery book , called 'The needles Excellency'.  It can be downloaded for free and I find that it is an excellent resource.   I am still working on my designs for my Sumptuous Surfaces course, that is another challenge.

First day of term

They have a staggered start at the school I am at.  This means that the grade 8 and 12 start today and the other grades tomorrow.  I had a lesson prep day as I have no 8's or 12's and tomorrow will be taken up with year level meetings etc.  So my first teaching day will be Thursday.  Then I have a cooking demonstration, and I have been told that the recipe doesn't work well and the replacement won't be available till tomorrow.  Now for a control freak like me this is stress.

Not knowing who my students are is also stressful.  Being new to this school I'm not sure what they have done in the past in Home Ec, if anything.  This means I am going to have to adjust learning experiences on the run.  More stress!!  I think that I am creating a lot of this stress myself, calm down!!

Some more of those 70's felt appliques.  In fact this is the all of them.  I can see these on jeans and jackets.  Kids cloths and a heap of other things.

Finding Inspiration

I spent today trying to finalise my design for my Sumptuous Surfaces class.  To this end I set off for my most favourite place on this earth, Coochiemudlo Island.  We have been coming to this island for over 25 years so it not only the beauty of the place it is all the wonderful memories that it evokes.  But how do you put this into a design?  What one thing can I take from the plethora of ideas?

The design is to be worked in a monochromatic scheme of whites and beiges and this island is colour.

The tidal waters encourage wonderful growth and the still waters reflect the colour of the sky.

After recent storms the erosion has exposed the red earth whilst the skeleton of a tree stands out in stark contrast.

I have taken my two favoured designs back to black and white. The first is stone and sand, the second a wild hybiscas.  I think that I need to sleep on this one.

Bangalow Markets

Up with the birds this morning and off in the car.  My daughter wanted to go to the Bangalow Markets which are south of the border down New South Wales way and a two hour drive away.  We got onto the road at 6am and had found a good parking spot and were seated for breakfast by 8:15am.

These Markets are held in the local show grounds and the local growers, artists, performers and other odd and assorted people gather  to sell their wares.  In the crowds we ran into our nieghbours, who we couldn't find at Xmas.  And there was so much to see.  It is a shame you can't smell the smells and here the music  because they all add to the experience.  I took over 100 photos but here are just a few.

The crowd.

The colours.

Some musicians. (This is a digerdoo)

Activities for kids.

This little one was in fairy land.

Things for the horse fancier.

Tools for the handyman.

Unusual flowers.

Some lovely smocking & Embroidery from Helen May Hill of Goonellabah.

Great bags from "cuban pink designs" of Mullumbimby

Bush foods from Playing with Fire.

I just love lemon myrtle.

The long weekend

Well I have survived the student free days and have the last long weekend of the school holidays .  I had thought of working on my school preparation but my first lesson from  Joggles  has arrived, all 34 pages, and I think that I will work on that.  This is my first online class, it is called Sharron Boggort's   Sumptuous Surfaces, and there is a lot to learn.  How to post to a forum to talk to other in the class etc. not including all the actual stitching.

I visited Harris and Nugent , fabric reps, who were having a sale of their samples, and bought tons.  This is high end fabric, some retailing at $1,000.00 per metre.  It was as though I had died and gone to heaven.

Student Free Day

The first day back in the school and I got to the end of the day!  You know, I rarely get calls on my mobile but today it happened, right in the middle of my first meeting.  That is not a good look.

I have to 'crank up'  the old thinking box.  I have been on holidays too long.  I am moving at such a slow pace.  Still, this happens most years.

Here is some more of that embroidery.

I'll do it anyway

I have been following Sharonb's challenge that she posted on her blog in 2007.  I missed the date to enroll but have decided that I will do it for my own satisfaction.  It is a great way to set up a process journal as a model for my senior students and it will keep me in touch with what they are learning.

Here are some more of Mabel Mc Alisters embroidery.  So 70's, so now. I I haven't been
able to get a link to work for the Embroiderers' Guild, maybe it is the org bit that is causing the problem. Now it works, I think?)

A blast from the past!!

Looking through some of the work in the Embroiderers Guild  collection (http://www.embroiderersguildqld.org.au)  I saw this piece of work by Mabel Mc Alister, done in the 70's.  It is a great resource for work being done today.  (I have just selected a small section of it here and will post the rest of the work over the next few days.)

My son's partner Inge had her birthday party the other night, and, it was a Fondue Party!!
That brings back memories.  I still have my old Fondue set put away somewhere.  Time
moves on and now those 80's babies are adults and everything old is new again.

Inge's Mum, Elke, still has her Fondue set, which we used.  In fact she still has two sets.

The finished products.

The kids had a great time at the holiday classes.  Everyone finished their piece and astonished parents could not believe the work their off spring had achieved.  There was so much creativity in this class.  So all those that think that kids don't like embroidery think again.

Some of our little ones were only seven years old, they did so well.  This is the 40th Anniversary of the Qld Embroiderers Guild  
and we celebrated with cup cakes for every child in the class.

A few corrections

Looking at my last post I see that the links are not working, so, I will try again.  My local theatre  and the restaurant  are both here for you to look at.  The Watt restaurant site gives you a great 360 of where I walk every day.

I have been busy the last couple of days getting ready for the Children's Embroidery classes run by the Embroiderers Guild of Queensland.  The youngest child is seven on the oldest is fourteen years of age and we have somewhere between 25 & 30 children enrolled. Here is some of our work in progress.