Wine Gift Bag

It is almost Christmas - one full day before the bright and happy celebration. We exchange presents, delights, hugs and wine. The meal is always better with a glass of wine and we all have our weird and not so weird preferences when it comes to wine. 

Wine making is an art. And, believe me, the process of making  good wine is a labyrinth - it is never the same for any sort of grape, or for a certain year, or for the conditions of making it. It takes all the   heart and skills, a full devotion and one definitely must love doing that, in order to make a grape juice good enough to be called wine, and at the end, the challenge raises the bar even more, since there is a good wine, and there is, most definitely, a bad wine. White or red, or rosé, wine is an amazing accompaniment to a dish. And the story behind the wine gift bag is about my friend and her love towards a certain white wine, ... and hockey...

My friend is a fellow fabric addicted crazy person. She sews all kinds of things. The love for fabric was what introduced us to this potential (at that time) relationship. When I first met her, I did not look at her, thinking: "hm, she loves fabric, that is why she is here, maybe we'll become friends...". Not at all! Much more, than a love for fabric is needed to find a friend and stay true to them. Through time, we have learned a lot about each other and became very real friends. So, now I get to know her favourite wine, favourite sports player, and  their opposites, of course. 

Canada is a country that prides itself with the hockey game. Hockey is not just a sport here - it is a style of living. I do not believe that there is a family of Canadians, that doesn't have at least one member involved into this sport. The big hockey bags, that carry full equipment for one, start appearing on the streets as early as the beginning of September. You could see little creatures, with tiny bodies, which barely fit properly on their skinny, but very muscle legs, dragging a bag, almost bigger than these creatures themselves, rushing through the parking with a long hockey stick in the other hand, towards the arenas, eager to start the early season practice, because up until this early autumn, that almost feel like late summer, these children have been practicing on their home lawns, staying very true to the Canadian  healthy hockey obsession. And right there, on that instant, you could read the pride and joy in these brightly sparkling eyes. These kids feel alive and happy. Hockey is a big thing to the Canadians. It is the second most important thing that identifies the country, after the national flag. 

My friend, as a true Canadian, and as a hockey mom, loves.. no, better say -  adores hockey as a sport. And of course, she does have a favourite player. When it comes to hockey, she is so full of information, you could learn from her. But when it comes to her favourite player, you could dive and sink into the stories she tells about this guy. And if the hockey were an equation, in which all the players take their places with different value, her player is the never changed constant with the highest value always and the right answer to the question: "Who is the best hockey player of all times?", the one from the present, the nice and shiny, the most handsome and skilled, Canadian born and raised, Sidney Crosby. Although, I don't share the same love for hockey, I truly love her passion for it, learning and trying to be on track (a very difficult task in this dynamic hockey life). There is a constant debate regarding who the best Canadian hockey player is. I remember Wayne Gretzky's name from my childhood - only because my father was a hockey fan. As an adult, and later - Canadian, I got to learn a lot about both players (and others as well). And in the wild competitiveness of the sport, the fans are always arguing who the best player is, and every story has its reasoning, and every fan passionately and argumentatively protects their favourite. Wayne Gretzky is a player, my friend respects a lot, but when it comes to comparison, well, lets just say, there is no evidence that would work in his favour, until Crosby is "in the game".

Choosing the wine from Gretzky's winery was super intentional. I knew she would appreciate the white wine, she would love that it was Riesling (it is her favourite wine), and she would be a smidgen bit "annoyed" by the fact that it was this particular brand. 

I made the bag for her with so much love. I hope she would enjoy the wine at Christmas and the bag will help her keep the good memories from today for quite some time. 

Cheers, my friend! Happy Christmas! ♥

The bag is made with the Haori handmade yarn dyed 100 % cotton fabric. I will prepare a tutorial of how to make your own in a following post. 

Have you finished your projects? Did you make anything special for your friend? I have to admit, I have two projects, that I packed and put away for next year, unfinished. I made sure I wrote a detailed note with drawings attached, so I have my ideas vividly alive next year and I finish them then. I am a little bit sad and a lot more disappointed in myself, but I guess, I overestimated the time and skills I possess.  

Have a wonderful, happy, healthy, memorable Christmas celebration! Thank you for taking the time to share some emotions and makings. Stay true to yourselves! 

Until soon,

♥ IN