When life gets in the way

You know how we roll along and then life throws us a few curves? I’ve had a few of those lately. Some family illnesses, both my mother and mother in law and then this terrible flu that’s going round. I’m doing physio for my side and neck. It may be caused by my fall way back in December.

I’m feeling generally tired and I’ve been conserving my energy, spending a little less time in my studio. Snowshoeing is the only outdoor option as our streets are icy and rutted, sometimes full of water, and not great for walking.

I’ve been giving myself permission to rest when I need, picking up my knitting or maybe reading. This too shall pass.

I have progressed some on my surfer adding more fused pieces as I go. I found some of the white water that I’d made for another piece.

I’m concentrating on all the little slivers before I move on to the stitching.

Last year, made 1 Swoon block and got so frustrated trying to cut pieces for the second block that I gave up. Since I’m trying to clear out some UFO’s, I pulledit out and got a friend who has made it to help me cut and lay out the pieces.

Today, I put together the one 9 patch on the bottom right.

Here is the first block.

Optimally, 6 blocks would work well for a twin sized quilt but I may only have 3 blocks in me! If so I’ll add some smashing s and maybe some smaller stars.

Birches, snow dyeing and a surfing piece

What a beautiful February day! Lots of snow but very bright and sunny. The days are getting much longer and I’m able to get out snow shoeing later in the afternoon without getting the chill of impending dusk. Since my bout of back and neck pain with cervical vertigo, I’ve been taking it easy, going to physio and neck massage. This week I’ve eased back into snow shoeing. I so love to be out on the trail where there is silence and fresh air. I love to stop to breathe deeply and to commune with the birds.

Yesterday, I spied this little nest for the first time. It is very small. I’m not sure about the bird. Some sort of finch or small bird.

The pilliated wood peckers have been to work on this dead tree. I love  the circle patterns!

I’ve got some Procion dyes that are quite old and this week I decided to try a little snow dyeing to use it up.

 

Magenta and blue loosely pleated:

Yellow, blue and a touch of magenta, loosely pleated:

The soft pleats suggest landscapes to me. Water and trees.

Scrunched, magenta and blue:

There seemed to be a lot of color rinsing out so I stopped and dried them. I may try rinsing again just to be sure.

In my sewing time, I’ve been finishing my birch trees. For now, it’s tacked up on the design wall for pondering. There are still a few touches to add in the foreground.

In the meantime, I’m slowly cleaning out my storage closet. I found this piece of a winter surfer friend of my son’s in Lunenburg, NS and decided to finish it. A couple of years ago, I did one of my son. The pieces were all laid out, so I cut an interfacing and started stitching in the sky and the background water.

I still have leftover pieces of thread lace that I made for the waves and spray. Maybe enough to do it.

I’m feeling pretty satisfied to be finishing some things tat have been languishing in the closet. Pieces that I’m not so fond of, I’ll pass along.

Slow stitching

I know there is a hand stitching movement called slow stitch which although I do enjoy is not what I referred to in the title. I’ve always been slow at finishing a piece but now I’m slower! Everything was going good for me and then a new problem develops in my back and neck. I’ve been stitching in shorter bits of time. 

I’m still working on this piece, getting ever closer to finishing. As usual, I’m already thinking and planning my next piece.

In the meantime I finished this little 6” by 8” piece for the SAQA Spotlight auction and hope to get it mailed this week.

I started with a Gelli print on white cotton, free motion stitched with black, added a few more designs with variegated and Hollowshimmer thread and finally did some hand embellishing with perle cotton and beads.

This is the postcard that was  made to advertise our SAQA Atlantic show opening March 28th in Dartmouth, NS.

There is a sliver of my waterfall on the right. I am planning to attend the opening if all goes well.