plant life

I've borrowed Indoor green by Bree Claffey from the library again, I love it so much. When I first saw it I was a little disappointed as I thought it was about plant care and had information on which plants to buy etc. It does a bit of that but it's so much more - how to live with plants, how to arrange them, how they can purify the air in your house and influence your well being. It's full of lovely interviews with people who share their love of plants. It's such a pleasurable read. If you're interested in houseplants then this is the book for you.

Since yesterday I have two new plants - a maidenhair fern and a string-of-pearls. I love how delicate the maidenhair is with its thin leaves that seem to tremble with any air movement. I especially love the little dots (actually spore/seeds) on the edges of the leaves. The string-of-pearls is a succulent with really odd adaptation. It's a desert plant and its leaves are round to conserve water. Compared to a regular flat leaf the round shape has less of its surface area exposed and so has reduced surface evaporation. However, the downside is that it also reduces the area available for light absorption and so it's developed a little window (the line that you can see running down each "pearl") to let the light in. How cool is that?

Reading: Indoor green: living with plants by Bree Claffey from Mr Kitly 

good morning, bear

A new sweater for the bear. I'm getting better at making things that fit him. The secret, I think, is to make everything larger. Never underestimate the size of a bear.

I have a few other things to be getting on with, so I'll have to put bear on hold for a while. At least he has clothes to put on now when he gets out of bed in the morning. No lounging around in pyjamas all day for him.

So, there's my little pile of supplies. Wool for a baby cardigan - a gift for a workmate-from-way-back's second child. The striped linen I bought to make a nightshirt - a belated birthday present. And the floral cotton lawn I found in my cupboard. I might hand hem a handkerchief for myself. The fabric is a nice weight.

And three books I've been loving:
Stamp stencil paint by Anna Joyce - simple designs and patterns to use just about anywhere on anything. I think I might have a go at potato printing some wrapping paper.
Everyday style by Lotta Jansdotter - Patterns and instructions for sewing basic clothing with variations: skirt, jacket, trousers, dress, tunic, bag
Slow stitch: mindful and contemplative textile art by Claire Wellesley-Smith - this is a beautiful book that focuses on hand stitching, natural dyeing and other traditional techniques. The patchwork hexagons, above, are from this book.

goodnight, bear

Here are the teddy bear clothes I've been making - pyjamas, slippers and a sleep sack. I drafted my own sewing patterns after looking at loads of doll and teddy bear patterns. I'd like to share the patterns with you but teddies vary in size and shape so much that it's impossible to guarantee a fit. Also this bear is a bit unusual (and extra challenging) as he's built in a permanent sitting down position.
As it turned out, the slippers were my biggest challenge. After several false starts I modified an old pattern (like this one) for what we used to call TV slippers and added little pom poms made by winding wool around a fork like this. And I'm really pleased with how they turned out.
Of course, every bear needs a bear so I made another "anything animal" like these ones. 
I was well rewarded for my efforts as my granddaughter loved the clothes and spent an evening putting her bear to bed many, many times over.

Reading:  
Benson's cuckoos by Anouk Ricard - a crazy comic/graphic novel whodunnit
M train by Patti Smith - a memoir of sorts. Review in The guardian.

ornament

Beautiful embroidery by Yukimo Higuchi from her book Zakka embroidery: simple one- and two-color embroidery motifs and small crafts. More of her work here on her website and Instagram. I can't wait to get started on some embroidery but I'm busy making clothes for a bear. Watch this space.

Viewing: Omnium gatherum by Julia Morison at Two rooms until May 28.

Watching: Learning to drive - small but delightful film starring Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley. 

gathering

+ Beatrix Potter books that I'm slowly collecting for my granddaughter
+ hat made by me - Patons Dreamtime merino 4 ply, pattern from Patons Natural Baby (book #1315)
+ bodysuit from Nature Baby
+ bunny made by me - designed by Lorraine from ikat bag. Pattern here
+ tiny merino socks made by Michelle Beattie

I'm in a little bubble of new babies and pregnancies - my children's friends, my friends' children and nieces and nephews. Exciting. I'm busy making and gathering gifts.

Reading: One shot by Lee Child. I know, another Jack Reacher ...

taranaki

A spur of the moment decision to spend the weekend in New Plymouth - a small city famous for a mountain, Mt Taranaki (apparently one of the most symmetrical volcanoes in the world) and an art gallery - the Len Lye Centre. Both can be a little hard to see. The mountain hides behind cloud a lot  of the time. We were lucky and got a glimpse from the road near Stratford. And the gallery - unfortunately most of it was closed due to "exhibition changeover". But the gallery building itself with its distorted reflections and everything moving in multiples is a fantastic and appropriate tribute to Len Lye who was a maker of experimental films and kinetic sculpture.
Actually, there is a third thing New Plymouth is famous for, the Wind Wand - a Len Lye sculpture down on the coastal walkway. The wand is red, 45m high and sways in the wind. It's simple, graceful, strange.
I hope your weekend was also a good one.

stitching

"Gentle stitching is not fraught, demanding or nerve-jangling. Instead it is simple, straightforward - something that can be done while relaxing, talking, sitting in the sunshine or on holiday. It doesn't require great amounts of skill, confidence or planning and is best started by simply threading a needle, abandoning high expectations and creating stitches on a nice piece of fabric."

And so... encouraged by these words from Jane Brocket and inspired by the Japanese art of sashiko stitching and the traditional kantha stitching from India I've been enthusiastically stitching. I've used the simplest stitch of all - running stitch - on linen (off-cuts from this project) to make some lavender bags and a potholder. I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed making these things. It was just so relaxing.

Also, posing next to the lavender bags is a little Crown Lynn "reflections" dish recently purchased from here.

Reading: The gentle art of stitching by Jane Brocket and Six poets - Hardy to Larkin: an anthology by Alan Bennett

Eating: Feijoas from our trees

Listening: Big inner and Fresh blood by Matthew E. White