16th of December

Today is a very special day, in a country far away, South Africa.  The Day of the Vow until 1994, when it became The Day of Reconciliation!   This story is based on true facts, something incredible happens every year on this day, at  a specific time, the light from the sun illuminate a phrase, as a promise made to God, nearly 177 years ago.

A cross-section of the Voortrekker Monument, showing the ray of light.

 The Vow.

 The Dome.

 The light.

On the 16th of December every year, at twelve o'clock midday, the light shines on the cenotaph, it is in the center of the Cenotaph Hall. It illuminates the inscription, with a ray of light, which is said to symbolize God's Blessing on the lives and endeavours of the Voortrekkers.

                               WE FOR THEE SOUTH AFRICA

                              The Rainbow Nation!

15th of December

The Unique setting.

" The 40m-tall granite monument houses the Hall of Heroes that retraces the journey of the Voortrekkers from the time they left the Cape Colony in their columns of ox-wagons.  In the monument is one of the world's longest historical marble friezes, the tribulations of the Voortrekkers are depicted."

The Cenotaph Hall, houses a tapestry of more than three million stitches, it depicts the story of the Great Trek.  The lighting was not very good inside, this is a glimpse of the hall and the tapestries on the one wall.

 A close up of one of the tapestries.  There is a quilt draped over the back of the chair. The women wearing bonnets, to protect their skin against the hot African sun.  These bonnets was hand quilted,  Boutis style.  A reflection to the French Huguenots.

 Colour chart of the wool , which was used in the tapestries, only a few colours was used.

The tapestries was done in panels, nine women worked for eight years to complete the fifteen scenes from the Great Trek, the tapestries contain 3,3 million stitches!

 A photograph, of the women, with some of the wool left over from the project.

Just an idea of the kind of terrain that they had to navigate inland with the ox-wagons.

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The Tapestries.

Here they are!

A birthday celebration, before they started their journey.

The exodus, packing up and leaving.

Across the Orange River, it is a massive river and not easy to cross.

Vegkop, one of the many battles they had to fight to stay alive.

The stop at Thaba Nchu, here they took a break to rest,  fix, mend, hunt for food.  Making candles, anything else they needed, cooked and prepared  food to take with them,  to continue on their trek.

Life continue, along the way some pioneers did not survive.  A funeral along the trek.

Wagon wheels had to be repaired along the way.  They took some tools with them and did this when they had to.  

Crossing the mountains.

Waiting at the temporary camp they set up, while some of the men went to explore routes and negotiate with the local tribes.

Piet Retief, one of the leaders, saying good bye, before one of these missions.  

Attacks happened frequently.

The weather could be a major factor.  Thunder and lightning, large hail is always a factor, which caused a lot of damage.

Making time for quiet time, reading the Bible and praying.

The battle at Blood River.

This is an overall snapshot of their journey.

The Battle of Blood River, 16 December 1838.

Besieged on all sides, before the battle, the Voortrekkers took a Vow, in return for God's help in obtaining a positive outcome that they would honour this day, as a holy day of God, forever. Giving Thanks!

The odds was not in their favor.

During the battle a group of about 470 Voortrekkers defeated a force of almost 10 000.  Three of the Voortrekkers was wounded and almost 3000 Zulu warriors died in battle.

PS: Piet Retief and his men was killed on the 6th February 1838, by Dingane, after the signing of the treaty.  (This included 100 men,  Retief was left to watch the massacre, which included his son.  He was left to the end. 

14th of December

a Quote, to the start of a story, which will span across a few days:

" Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the great twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
                                                        Theodore Roosevelt, Hamilton Club, Chicago.  April 10, 1899.

In South Africa on the 16th of December something special happens.  It is a story some may know and it explains how a nation started a day of humble thanks giving!

Our ancestors had to make tough choices, it is not a modern phenomena.   It started in 1835, all because of wanting to be free and to be able to have a life, a choice.  Back in those days, every time the settlers spoke up, moved and started over again, the borders was shifted to include them.  Today we would look at this practice, as a ludicrous way to solve such an issue.

The solution was simple:  move as far away as possible, a fresh start, this is how the Great Trek came to be!

The pioneers "Voortrekkers", left everything behind and moved across untamed territory in separate groups, from 1835 to 1838.  The dangers they had to face, obstacles they would have to overcome, did not deter them in their quest for a better life. They would have to rely on themselves, taking each day and situation as it came along.  Anything they needed, they would have to make.  Everything from candles, soap, clothing,blankets, food, there would be no shops, just the unknown. How many of us would be able to be self sufficient today?

The story continues with an amazing piece of art and a craft that showcases their story in a very unique setting!    

to be continue......

13th of December

Festive inspirations!

A hint of cinnamon in the air,  the smell of freshly baked bread all trigger a memory, it is a powerful way we remember events from long ago.  Colours do the same, our senses tell stories in their own right.  Music will get us humming a tune, tapping our fingers or toes to the beat of a drum.  As kids we would twirl and dance across the grass and just spin until we were dizzy with delight.  As Adults, we keep it all contained, or do we? Last week a man in his truck waited next to us at the traffic light, he had the window open and was beating the tune with his hand on the steering wheel.  It was fun to see a big little kid still alive and well.  Embracing the inner kid which gets lost very fast in the world we live in today!

Release the big little kid again!

When last did you colour a picture?  Adult colouring books are all the rage at the moment.  They are used in a variety of ways,  Mary Corbet from Needle 'n Thread, created a masterpiece with Secret Garden, this is the start.  This is the end result, see it here.

 Playing with fabric tinting, using crayola wax crayons.

Trace design on muslin, then follow the tutorial here

Once the colour tinting is done, the design is embroidered, creating a heirloom.

An alternative to Crayola wax crayons and stronger hues of colour is soybean crayons, Prang.

 Then there is the humble coloured pencil, Prisma Colour Pencils.  Sandra Leichner has discovered her own way to add art to fabric using these pencils, here is her tutorial.  She creates Best of Show quilts.  The attention to detail which she add with pencils, is amazing!

Have a little fun.....

12th of December

Today is a friends Birthday.  I always think it is the six, this year I know I'll get it right. Her favourite colour is purple.

We all have tools we use for our crafts, we look after them, just as our ancestors did with their scissors, needles and pins.

A needle keep and book.

Felt pages, to keep the needles protected.

A scissor case and fob.

Even in nature, we can find this rich colour, a bearded Iris.   

Then all the quilts, done in purple.....

Happy Birthday!