When is it going to be Spring

 When it's spring again 

 I'll sing again 

 Tulips from Amsterdam  

Winter has dragged on here (New Zealand), and I'm longing for spring to arrive. I need more sun in the days please. Today was a teaser of what is to come. I managed to actually get three loads of washing on the line and dried. First time I've been able to do that for a long time.

Anyway, enough of my dribble - here's what I have been up to this past week.

I attended an online workshop by JThouse to learn how to make her motif called 'Dione'.

I played YARN CHICKEN with it .... and lost. I ran out of thread just before the very last three picot edgings to the very last 'leaf'. How very annoyed I was (hah! I won't repeat here what I actually said).

But at least I now know how to make the motif.

 Embroidery on my Crazy Quilt block #8. 

Filling in details on some motifs.

Craft Room Organising

Since moving into our new home back in March, this room was 'earmarked' for my craft studio, and also as a spare tv lounge.

This part of the room is my sewing area. All my craft books will be on the bottom shelves, and then all my sewing equipment will be on the top shelves close at hand for my sewing/project table.

The three red stacked boxes on the floor on the left have more of my books yet to be unpacked, I hope they will all fit on the shelves ok.

I'm looking forward to having this place sorted soon so that I can plug in my sewing machine that I have not been able to use for well over a year now.

All this in the photo has been in storage all that time as well. Unpacking it is like Christmas and lots of birthdays all arrived at once and I am being reunited with long lost friends here too, lol.

I hope to have the table clear by next week and carry on sorting the other parts of this room, some of which will be the art & designing area. Lots more unpacking yet.

So that was my busy week.

And this has been another YOP post

Happy stitching

A Year of Projects (week 1)

A Year of Projects (or YOP for short) starts here with my first post.

This is with a group I recently joined on Ravelry here.

There will hopefully be a new post about this once a week as I try to complete and tick off the projects on my TO-DO list between July 2016 and June 2017.

I have some projects lined up that need to be started or completed in a particular month - like the International Freeform Fiberart Challenge that starts January 1st. and ends May 1st. and is a very important project for me every year.

My TO-DO Lists

Crochet - 

A freeform piece for a national arts festival here in NZ.

Lots of baby items for a craft table at our local Child & Baby Expo.

Two afghan blankets.

Mandala Madness CAL WIP needs the last 3 weeks of instructions to complete it.

Down by the Seashore CAL WIP

Knitting - 

One afghan blanket.

Various other items not decided yet. 

Embroidery - 

Hand embroidered seam treatments and embellishment on my Crazy Quilt Colour Journal.

2 x Cross-stitch miniature rugs.

Various other items as my mind introduces them to me.

Patchwork & Quilting - 

Finish my Butterfly Crazy Quilt.

Complete the backing and hanging for my Snorkeling wall-hanging, possibly for the arts festival.

Mug rugs, table mats, bags, and lap quilts for a craft stall.

Other items as the mood takes me.

Art - 

Practice more flower sketches and paintings.

Pen and ink drawings, possibly for arts festival.

Other Crafts - 

Sculpture.
Needle felting.

Soft-sculpture sewing.

Calligraphy.

Weaving.

Spinning.

Tatting.

Bobbin Lace.

Christmas presents - 

this list will be detailed later in the year when I have decided what to make and for who.

Other projects -

Get my craft room designed, sorted and unpacked (after it has been in storage for over a year while we had a touring holiday of North Island).

Now with a large garden to upkeep - plant lots of wildflowers and colourful borders. 

Keep the roses tidy. 

On-going planting and harvesting my new vegie plots.

Well.....    I think that's enough to keep me busy for a year, don't you?

Freeform Crochet Exhibition

Every year the International FreeForm Fiberart Guild produces a book and an online gallery for its annual exhibition.

I have, once again, entered a piece of freeform in the exhibition.

The theme for the show is 

Flora and Fauna - native to your region or country.

I chose the New Zealand flax for my inspiration and created this ornamental vessel.

You can read more about my piece on the gallery website HERE

The online Gallery for the show is HERE

and

The book can be purchased HERE
(all profits go to a charity voted by the member)