Happiness is...a Blackwork Thai Shack

This was my second project, and was a complete accident.
Jamie and I lived in Thailand for nine months
(that was an accident too) and living in this shack was the first point where we had our own house and I could actually concentrate on sewing for any period of time.
Most people have mosquito coils and some t-shirts in their rucksack, I had blackwork sewing books and oodles of thread.

This picture started with playing around with a stitch while sitting
on our 'porch' looking at a the pattern on the bark of
the tree. Then it turned into the tree. That took a while.
Then I thought why stop there? And each piece was added, and I could see how another bit might be added, to make the whole - or half because it was so unplanned I ran out of material.

This is our 'house' - or shack, which was in jungle-like territory. It's hard to see from this photo but the walls were woven ratta/bamboo, and had a distinct pattern which I used in concentrated form for the window, and
slightly larger for the main wall. The grasses hung down in straggles over the edge of the thatched roof.

The stones in the front were large boulders set in concrete. I was particularly pleased with these in the picture, because I was a bit apprehensive, but the shapes totally remind me of sweeping in between the stones.

Here you can see the Thai pillow seat, where I sat to do most of the sewing.

This is my favourite project so far, and I've yet to feel so satisfied with any other blackwork project. It was completed at a time when I was working hard with fantastic people, and fulfilling a dream of working in community development in a developing country.

This project reflected exactly our situation at the time. I did not come to it with any ambitions, preconceived ideas or expectations of what it could or should be. It was a relaxed exploration, and each piece fitted as it was meant to.

I loved living here, it was a simple and fulfilling life while it lasted, my Blackwork Thai Shack is more tangible reminder than any photo - not just of our first house - but of my state of mind.