maandag 27 juni 2016

... here comes the sun ...

The last few days were filled 
with stitching,
stitching,
and more stitching.

Done !

    Summer  Solstice   2016


(I'll have to check tomorrow,
with better (sun) light,
if the colours are okay)


More details of the left and right side.

It was really fun to use lots of different
embroidery threads :
silk, rayon, DMC  and thin crochet yarn.
I the outer circle I used all kinds of blues, purple and even green.

After I did the final bit on the bluish circle


I looked where there needed to be more yellow quilting.

In the end I folded the thin white backing fabric
over to the wrong side and stitched it.
I'll probably mount the quiltlet on a canvas.

*

There were a lot of wet days
this last week.
But sometimes when the sun came out
I could sit in the garden and stitch.
Some noise made me take a better look at the water :
(that runs along our garden)
a "baby" grebe and mama.

Mama had managed to catch a fish.
The little one was squeaking,
but mama held on to her fish

I had even time to fetch my camera,
and still she held on to her prey for minutes.


Bur the little one stayed close and alert

Then she finally handed the fish over 
and he finally could start swallowing the fish
(I did catch that, but the picture is unsharp ...)

Here he just had it inside
ha, you can still see where the fish is ...

Done

Hmmmmmm ...
I think he has a smile on his face !

Ahhhhh, that water is such a BONUS to our garden !


(oh, this is post 600 !)

dinsdag 21 juni 2016

Summer Solstice

Yeah well ...
no summer in sight at the moment !
Lots of rain, lots of drizzle,
only a minute of sunshine today.

So that leaves only my own sun

that I've been stitching on today.

I made the initial 20 x 20cm bigger
by adding some more yellow strips around it.
Then came a bit of blue and another fine backing.
(now it's 30 x 30cm)

I wasn't too sure about the blue corners ...
but
after adding a big circle of my magic thread
I knew how to continue


More blue stitching in between.

Slowly going
...........
waiting for the sun to come out again


zaterdag 18 juni 2016

s l o w l y ...

Oh yes,
things are going slowly
Don't know why,
they just do.

Here is my Solstice piece ...
but it won't be finished by far on the 21st !

Trying to capture the vibrant sunlight
in a lot of stitches !

Just taking the yellow threads as they are in front of me ...



In the garden everything is green 
because of the many rainy days.
Flowers are struggling with the water
that keeps pouring down,
(with some sunshine in between )

(foxgloves and Phlomis)

But some seem not to mind the wet weather ...
like this little toad
(there are many !)

soooooo tiny !!!

*

Last Friday we were just lucky in Rotterdam :
the rain stopped long enough
that lead up to the roof of a building next to the new Central Station

Ahhhhh ... a pity :
only till tomorrow ...



Looking down at the Station Square
from the top of  stairs and the building

The wonderful rooftop with faaaaaaar away,
right in the middle, the "Euromast"
(that one is much higher, so you have an even  better view from there  ;-) ...)

three towers of an Oil rig       and more high buildings in the city center 

"Inside" the building

It was fabulous !

And the most fun part was all the people (total strangers)
got talking to each other about their childhood memories.
Because the City Center was destroyed in the beginning of WW II
all of it was build again from scratch.



dinsdag 7 juni 2016

almost summer ...

The weather is really lovely and warm.

(although we had some heavy rain too but that is okay :
I don't have to water the garden)


dark leaved elderberry   and    the New dawn rose

Yesterday was such a nice warm evening
that I stayed outside after dinner to start with some new work.
All had quieted down :
only some distant blackbirds trying an early evening song,
and squeaking jackdaws up in the big trees
on the other side of the water
(and a very young one hiding in the ivy,
keeping a wary eye on me)

(I think he only just had left the nest !!!)

But I had other things to do :
trying another Summer solstice piece

Some hand dyed yellow
with a vintage lace "sun"
dyed indigo by my friend Birgit.

With this kind of work, I mostly don't have a "plan" ...
I go with the flow ...
(wherever it takes me ... IF it takes me anywhere ...)

Did some more today

basting ...
cut out the middle part ...
did some weaving ...

We'll see ...
*

Ahhhh last week I finished my "Canadian Connection" cowl !


You might remember I did this really fun knitting pattern
and realized I would be short on the "Mini Mochi" yarn I chose ...
Then this lovely lady Janie in Canada
sent me her yarn !
(all through "Ravelry"!)

Well, much too HOT for now
but when winter comes again ...  ;-)
*

Also last week I received another felting-exchange piece


(it was without a pin, but I sorted thát out right away !)

Thanks Petra !