Multi-tasking

So I've discovered that I'm not really a 'one WIP' kinda girl.  I've been focusing on getting my Tree of Life quilt ready for the Auckland Festival of Quilts, and with a week and a half to go before hand in date all I can think of is all the projects I'd RATHER be doing.

You get an old pic to make me feel better about how far it's come since this - and because I've temporarily mislaid my camera.

Like trying monoprinting.  I have a big sheet of glass and I used it to monoprint a couple of pieces of organza for my Tree of Life quilt the other day.  Turns out it's fun, and it's easier than painting the organza direct.  So now I'm itching to play with printing.

And I'm a third of a way through quilting my Old Maid's Puzzle quilt.  It's so close and yet so far because I haven't worked on it for months.  I swear it looks at me resentfully every time I dump something else on top of it in my studio!

This was taken months ago - before I moved into my new studio!

Then there is the other stack of UFO's.  I can't even claim that they are WIP's because the work and the progress part are sorely missing.

I'd really like to work on this organza piece some more. 

And it's spring.  The garden is a forest of borage and brassica flowers - all very pretty, but it doesn't bode well for the menu come summer.

So, in a way, I'm glad that the deadline is approaching way too fast.  Because whether I finish my Tree of Life quilt or not, in a week and a half, I'll be able to pick up something else.  Or two or three other things at once - I'll be in multi tasking heaven again.

Growing Things

We spent the weekend growing things.  We grew the wood pile for next winter and it's higher than my head now.  There is something very satisfying about having a good stock of fragrant wood drying.  Maybe it harks back to caveman days when fire was safety, warmth and food all in one.

We didn't grow these, but we did plant them.  Fifty baby Kanuka trees that will become a hedge/shelter belt and will shield us from the view of the neighbours.  Grow babies, grow!

And my quilt continues to grow slowly.  I've been glue basting the birds on and will soon be appliquéing them with a straight stitch.

I hope you had a productive weekend too.

Procrastination

It's a beautiful spring morning here and I'm procrastinating.  I'm sitting in front of my computer reading all your lovely blogs instead of hauling my butt outside and changing my flat tyre.  But if I want to go to my Friday morning quilting group (and I do!  I really love spending some stitching time with those ladies) then I have to quit this and go get grubby.  So I'll leave you with a picture of these cute little peepers who hatched a couple days ago.

Chop, chop. Stitch, stitch.

I've sold the grand total of two dragon appliqué patterns through my Felt shop (link in the left side bar).  Which makes me happy.  Slow means I can iron out headaches without them turning into migraines.  Like figuring out how to use PayPal properly (Did you know you have to 'accept' payments or they return them?  Don't snigger, I didn't know!)

But selling the second pattern has prodded me into action.  I've realised that if my patterns aren't in the Felt shop then they ain't gonna sell.  So I've been chop, chopping and soon will be stitch, stitching these positive/negative appliqué blocks in an attempt to get the patterns in to the shop sometime soon.

And here's something that brings joy to my heart.  I planted a bag of tulip bulbs in the Autumn and tucked them round the cool side of the shed (we're truly marginal for tulips).  And I've been rewarded with this glorious pot of colour that has got better and better over the last week or so.

Happy Spring!

Houdini Calves

No, that is not where they are meant to be.  

The calves are growing well, but not so big that they can't squeeze out gaps.  Mind you, it helps if you actually turn on the electric fencing! 

Only a few more weeks of milk feeding, thankfully.