Around here & something new...
It has been busy in the vineyard for the past many weeks, first with summer trimming and then putting on the nets so the birds don't eat and damage all the fruit before it is ripe for the winery. The rows are now all clad in white, the nets gently moving in the breeze. It always reminds me of drifts of snow except of course it is the height of summer.
Although I know I shouldn't and I know I said I wouldn't...
With the nets on, we were looking forward to a bit of peace
of quiet in the vineyard, when… our bore pump broke. Not only did it break, it
broke in the middle of (yet another) heat wave. It may not sound like a big
deal with a broken pump but where we live, we don’t have mains water. All our
water come from the sky and is stored in tanks and we use the ground water as
back-up in summer to irrigate if we need to. No need to say than when the
temperatures are well above 35C several days in a row, we need to water. A
rather stressful situation, but luckily we have loads of water tanks (I
sometimes wonder if that many tanks classify as a collection?? LOL ) Anyway,
there was enough to see us through and with enough to spare to see us through the
rest of summer.
... I have been busy
outside and working on finishing ‘You Know Which Kit Notes’ on the computer. It always ends up taking much longer than I want to but they are almost ready to send to print.
I started something new. Yes, I know, I said I was going to try
not to start new projects until the previous was written and kitted up, but you
know how it is…. Itchy fingers.
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| Jewels of Summer |
Since I first stitched ‘Jewels of Summer’ the plan has been
to design Spring, Autumn and Winter. Apart from having turned Jewels of Summer into a kit, I use the design as a class project
as an introduction to embroidery in my Beyond Back Stitch classes and I have
long thought it would be nice to have a few designs for people to choose from.
Besides, I suddenly had a wave of inspiration for Stars of Winter.
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| Stars of Winter - Work in Progress |
The intention and the fun challenge for me, is to use the same selection of some of the most commonly used embroidery stitches in both designs.
I think I have it pretty much worked out, so now I just need to get needle to fabric. My next Beyond Backstitch workshop starts in just less than two weeks and I would really love to have both designs ready. Nothing quite like a self-imposed tight deadline. I wonder why I do this to myself - then again, I do seem to get things done when I really have to.
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| Stars of Winter - Work in Progress |
If you are in Adelaide and would like to join in, but didn't get the Newsletter, there is still a few places left. I will be running this workshop on Wednesday evenings over 5 weeks. The focus is on these common stitches, how to use them and how to get the best from your embroidery. The course is ideal for beginners, but is also helpful if you have some experience as I like to share as many hints and tips, I possibly can. You can find the details, by clicking HERE.
We are heading to the beach for a few days of R&R this week, but I will be taking this with my. I can't wait to stitch that little bird...
Hope you are having a nice weekend,
Anna x
Hi Anna, I can imagine in the continuing heat that you have been experiencing that it must be worrying to have a potential shortage of water.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, in Vancouver, we seem to have non-stop rain and tomorrow the threat of snow!
It is lovely to read your enthusiasm for your embroidery. Wonderful that you can work with a craft you love.
Janine
Oh Janine, I would happily send some warmer and drier weather your way.. It has been driest January in Adelaide in more than 65 years - which is quite a record when you are in a place that is normally hot and dry in summer.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna! I'm sorry to read about the broken pump, I so hope it will be possible to fix it, or replace into a new one. Yes, I've also heard about the shortage of water and the extreme temperatures/heatwaves in Australia.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that therefore we here, in The Netherlands, (as a side effect of the polar vortex, now going on in USA/Canada) have a very soft winter with now and then a bit of snowfall/frost and a few days later higher temperatures, our winter weather is like a bouncing yoyo....
Your embroidery is, as usual, a feast for the eyes, it shows off your love for embroidery. I wish I lived near to you so I could join a class of you.
Hugs, Ilona
Broken pump is a big deal... I hope everything will end well.
ReplyDeleteJewels of Summer are beautiful.