Debi van Zyl

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IT'S BEEN A WHILE, CROCODILE

Finally! A weekend off where I could make stuff.
Work has been nuts lately (good nuts), so between that and trying to figure out what it means to be a traveling freelance designer, and I've really neglected my handmade-homemade life.

It's been calling me, however, and I've got beasts on the brain. Over the last couple of weeks, Mr D. helped me make some furniture, like a standing sewing table. And he also helped make my wonky desk (that I hurriedly built when we moved here) a bit more stable. My workspace feels so much more organized and efficient now.

lappieskombers.jpg

I also added to my collection of fabric squares for the lappieskombers I want to make before winter comes. Growing up in an Afrikaans family, I've always known these patchworks quilts as such, and to this day, while I don't speak Afrikaans anymore, that is the first word that comes to mind when I need to say quilt.

Anyway, I've been adding to this little stash over the years by cutting some of my favorite clothes that I've, ahem, ruined. Like my beloved black and white polka dot shirt that I wore to my first welding class that promptly got sweaty and then rust stained in random places. Or clothes that I no longer fit into but that I cannot bare to part with because I love the pattern. My mother made us lappieskombers when we were kids, and I loved asking her about the different fabric squares and where they came from, and she would say stuff like, oh that one? Oh that was my favorite dress in the 70s. Oh my god I loved that dress. I love how the blankets were made up of things we love but no longer have.

And finally, for those of you who are waiting patiently for the store to be restocked with beasts, the good news is I'm getting really close! I got a good chunk done this weekend and hoping to make the final push this week. Expect the newsletter soon, my friends!
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