Lockdown Day 16

I walked into my studio today with the intention of having a tidy up so I could clear my head and maybe try and find the clothes patterns that I know I have stashed somewhere.  The first thing I saw was a unicorn hanging on one of my mini, portable design boards. It's been there for AGES, so long in fact that I'd stopped 'seeing' it. But I saw it today, and today that was going to be the first thing to tidy up.

And by tidy up, I mean get all the pieces stuck down so I could get it off the design board and out of my visual field.

Why am I making a unicorn?

Well, I have a little Etsy shop, with just a couple of patterns in it. I made a dragon quilt for my son when he was little, I turned the dragon into a pattern, and it's sat on Etsy ever since, just ticking away selling a few here and a few there.

Then I put a unicorn pattern up for sale, and that sells a few here and there too. But I wanted to add another colour way to the unicorn to show people different options. I planned it, cut it out and then lost the hind leg before I'd fused it all down (as you do). Once I'd lost the hind leg, it sat for a while, even once I'd found the hind leg....so long story short, I'm making a unicorn to add a different colour example to my Etsy shop.

And there he is, in all his technicolour glory! He's very bright and cheery, whereas the first one I made (below) is definitely more mystical. I guess that's got to do with what background he's on too. I flipped him directionally as well, just for a change.

My patterns are digital downloads, and if you want your very own unicorn, you can go here to purchase the pattern. I asked my kids what patterns I should do next. I have a pegasus drawn up but not made, but they suggested a bat, a wolf, an owl and a bear - not particuarly mystical like dragons and unicorns. Any other suggestions what I should make?

And yes, I did start a piece of clothing, but it's not finished. I may have sewn the neckband on inside out and I'm trying to decide whether to unpick it or make it a feature! I'll let you know tomorrow.

Lockdown Day 15

Good news on the lockdown front. New Zealand only has 29 new cases today, which is down from 53 (I think) yesterday and about 64 the day before. It really seems like the trend is going down and our strict lockdown rules and closed borders are working. We still have had only one death, and currently four people are in intensive care.

I spent today planting seedlings, pottering in my studio and helping hubby dig to fill in behind a retaining wall he's been building.

I also gave in and bought a new phone. I have an iPhone 5, which is obviously quite old and very well used. It survived a swim in my indigo vat last year but it's been showing it's age lately with the battery going downhill quickly, a few random shut-offs and finally today, it's memory decided that it was completely full and no matter what I do with offloading photographs, it still won't take any new ones.

So that is why you have an old picture of Cerego's compass (the boat I used to live on). Just because I think it's cool, and it ties in nicely to feeling like NZ is heading in the right direction with the Covid-19 pandemic, and because I can't take any new pics without stealing a device from another family member!

Lockdown Day 14

I've been exchanging regular emails with my stitching group. We're a small group and in non-lockdown times we try and meet weekly for some tea and cake stitching and chatting. They are fabulous friends, caring and motivating and kind and funny and I'm missing them....

Anyhoo. I told them via email that I intended to make one item of clothing during lockdown.

There is lots of creativity and industry flying round the interwebs at the moment. There is also lots of anxiety and sadness and stress. And I get both states of being. I understand if people feel totally motivated, and I also get it if people don't.

But for me, I like the idea of coming out the other side of this strange time with something that I can show for it. Something that I can say, "I made that during lockdown." I guess that's one of the reasons I decided to write in my blog every day. It's such a weird time, sometimes overwhelming, and I wanted to mark it somehow.

I bought an overlocker at the end of last year. A second-hand Bernina 700D from a guy that services machines. It was purchased with the intention of making more of my own garments, but so far all it's made is cushions (which I blogged about here).

So there, now I've announced my plans, very publicly! I better go and see if I've got a pattern or can find one via download that I like.

I'll let you know how I go.

Lockdown Day 13

Almost two weeks done. And if I'm optimistic, it looks like New Zealand's daily amount of new cases may be starting to slow. We'll keep watching and waiting and staying at home of course, another two weeks to go.

One more 12 hour shift at work today and now I've got a good stretch of time off.

So here is another set of throwback photos, as once again, I haven't got lots of writing mojo.

Scrolling through old photos is like finding buried treasure. I had forgotten about this little quilt, but I really liked it at the time, and I still do. It went to a very good home up further North in New Zealand, to another artist's house.

Albatross are amazing birds, with incredible lives and the long skinny shape was meant to imitate the feeling of their impressive wing span. I hope that I managed to invoke a sense of the birds gliding and that the fabrics reference the multiple and varied colours of sky and sea. 

Here's a close up of the feather before I did the quilting. Yummy fabrics, rusted and dyed.

Here's an arty shot of it when I had it displayed in my little gallery. The pots are by Jane Shaw and Pete Yeates. And I liked that it looked just as good draped as it did on the wall.

And a close-up photo of the quilting. I wanted an isobar look to go with the albatross theme. And I was really happy with how it turned out.

Lockdown Day 12

Another 12 hour shift at work today, so again, I won't be writing lots.

I thought I'd scan through my photos and maybe look for a UFO. And I found the perfect one.

This is in my 2015 photo folder, so um, yes, at least five years old (blush), probably older. This photo is taken hanging up on my wood stack from when I lived on a 10 acre lifestyle block, which was before I lived on a boat, which was before I lived here, and we've been in this house for two years now...

I called it creme brûlée. Not sure why, I think the classic colours and style maybe? It's made of a bunch of fabrics that I had been hoarding, and they happened to work well with each other. 

It's constructed of simple snowball blocks with corner stones in the sashing, which makes a nice secondary pattern of faux churndash blocks.

I still really like it. And it's still a flimsy! I did have it with a long-armer friend of mine, but she had to return it due to health issues. I have the backing and the batting, so now I'm looking at quilting it myself. But I'm completely blank on quilting ideas. I'll have to put it back on the to-do pile while I doodle some ideas.

Suggestions welcomed!