We have left these houses & our own real house to go climb a wall.
Climbing a wall : It has always been my dream to bring our kids to China, as they are also part Chinese. My husband & I have been to Beijing a number of times, way back before we had the kids & also before we know each other. This will be the first time we are there, as a complete family.
This week is our autumn break so when you are reading this.....we will be in Beijing, climbing the Great Wall of China (长城/万里长城 Wàn Lǐ Cháng Chéng) !
The Great Wall, built over 2000 years ago, stands for the wisdom, tenacity & spirit of the Chinese people. I was pretty emotional the first time I stood on that Wall, one spring day, many years ago.
Legends of the Great Wall : Many died during the construction & they were buried under it. These "convenient" burials save funeral expenses, save building materials (good, environment friendly bones) & also, bones help "deep fertilize" the wall, making the roots of plants go deep, thus protecting the Great Wall foundations. And I thought roots would wreck foundations but what do I know!
Most all, according to Chinese beliefs : the spirits of those who died for the Great Wall, made it stronger. The Wall is 6400 Kilometres, about 4000 miles long.
And contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall cannot be seen from the moon. It is hardly recognizable from 65,617 feet high. It is totally invisible at a height of 196,850 feet, not to mention from a space ship whose orbital altitude is on average 1,312,333 feet high. So sadly, to say that an astronaut can see the Great Wall is merely an exaggeration.
Click HERE, to see a dizzy 360 degree
panoramic view of the Great Wall.
Sewing : While preparing for this trip, we were sidetracked so many times! I am in the middle of an exciting swap with a fabulous crafty blogger-mom (hi Laurie!) & as she wished for Japanese fabric scraps, I had to start organising my messy lots of scraps.
While sorting, we were so distracted by the colours & made these patchwork items instead of packing. And now, we have new colourful cushion covers to replace the boring old yellow ones, more fabric houses & other cheerful things!
19 comments:
Great usage of scraps, they really brighten up the room.
Oh my goodness! I LOVE your little fabric houses! They look so much like mine! Wow! Great minds think alike!
I am so excited for you to have your fun trip - I am jealous!
You are so sweet to include me in your post - I can't wait to sample of few scraps of your fabric. I hope you like the mags I sent! :)
How wonderful for all of you to see the Great Wall of China together.
I love the pillows and fabric houses.
Love love your scrap houses, they are lovely! hope you have a great time on your trip!
What swee houses. I hope you are having a lovely time on the Great Wall. There is a similar tradition with Celts where the spirits of bodies built under a wall will keep it strong.
Lovely cushions too Xue
The little cottages are adorable. Would make such cute Christmas ornaments for the tree.
And the pillow covers! It is always nice to have fresh new bright ones, isn't it? You guys did a wonderful job. Now lets just hope you didn't forget to pack something. :-)
Amazing facts about the Wall. I hope you have a wonderful time with the whole family together. And yes, I always heard you could see the Wall from the moon, but when I couldn't even find it on Google Earth, I figured that must have been a myth.
Hi, Xue! Just LOVE these little houses and your newly sewn patchwork cushions--just gorgeous pieces & scraps of fabric, so many patterns and colors! All is so beautiful--very well done. I admire your sewing skills and creativity. :o) Very much enjoyed all this reading of The Great Wall. So very thrilled you will all be going there together at last as a family. Wishing you a very safe and happiest journey. Look forward to catching up with you when you get back. Enjoy your vacation! ((HUGS))
What a fantastic trip!!! Looking forward to loads of pictures. Your little houses are just the cutest things I've seen!
What a fantastic trip for your famiy. I hope you share lots of pictures. Absolutely LOVE your darling little houses. Hopefully you won't get 2 comments from me. Either blogger is having a problem or it's just me!
Thanks so much for the link to the view of the Great Wall! What a wonderful trip to take!
Your little houses are adorable :)
Such wonderful pillows..I love all the colours!! So, finally pergin Beijing ya...I ingat visa sangat mahal..but good for the kids. I pun mau pergi Great Wall...tahun depan :)
Boy Xue, when you said dizzying view, you weren't kidding!
I am in awe of this incredible adventure that you are taking your kids on, what an experience! I hope you are all having a fabulous time!
As for those cushions, I just think they are marvelous, and the houses are sweet as can be! (Just like you!!)
Hi Xue, hope you are having an incredible holiday. Family holidays are always so much fun.
I love your cushions and houses. Now I want to make some patchwork cushions too!
Waiting to hear how the wall climbing went. I'm not a brave traveler, so you'll have to do it for me, too!
I just found your blog and WOW!!!!
love these little houses they are just adorable
did you use a pattern to make them or are they your own design?
what a wonderful trip for you and your family
I hope you tell us more about the trip and share photos.
Kathie
Love your fabric houses! And the new cushions you made look great! Have fun visiting China! :0)
Thank you for the nice comments on my blog. I like your blog...makes mine look like it is stuck in the dark ages!!
I am totally enchanted by those patchwork houses and am heading to Etsy to see if they are there. Probably not since you are gone now. I hope you are having a wonderful time -- how fun to take and show your children such rich culture and personal history. Safe and happy travels!
so did you conquer the Great Wall of China?
I must make an effort ot visit China, Chinese person never been to China, so PAI SE or malu.
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