Why Make?

This is question that never really leaves my mind.  Why make?  Why make art?  Why make anything at all?

Because the artist cannot help herself.  The artist must make art.  And in the same way, the maker of anything -- assuming the maker is a living being, that is -- must make that thing, those things.

Deanne Fitzpatrick makes hooked rugs for the floor and the wall, but that's simply her method, her medium.  In reality, she writes in her Sunday Letters (and says on her podcasts), she is making comfort, peace, thoughtful expression -- and beauty.

Judy Martin makes hand-stitched, hand quilted pieces for the wall and elsewhere.  But again, that's simply her method, her medium.  In reality, she writes in her blogs, she is making comfort, peace, thoughtful expression -- and beauty.

Why do I make?

I make pieces with textiles: cotton and/or linen fabrics (and sometimes polyester or a bit of silk); with threads: cotton or silk (and sometimes polyester or a bit of wool); and with yarn: 99.99% of the time, wool.  Sometimes I make pictures, sometimes abstractions, and sometimes I use OPI (Other People's Instructions).  But these are simply my methods, my media.  In reality, I too am making comfort, peace, thoughtful expression -- and beauty.

As Judy wrote in her recent Journal post, as a whole, since the 1800s, people -- at least in our Western culture filled with reason and commerce and conspicuous consumption -- have divided the creation of something -- the making of things -- into whether what is produced can considered 'useful' and 'practical' -- or not.  And if its not seen as utilitarian, then it's less highly valued. She wrote, that when we make "usefulness" the most important criterion for making something, those of us who produce art simply for art's sake, begin to doubt our worth. 

I don't know any artist who hasn't had those same doubts.  I know I have -- especially when I stopped producing art for sale.  Yes, I have art for sale -- in independent shows I choose to enter, and in the collections at Andrea Hatch's Curiosity Art and Framing gallery in Red Deer, Alberta.

But I never started to make art for money.  It piles up in my small house, and so I put it on show and out for sale because...why not?  If it doesn't sell, it doesn't sell.  It's still  out there for the viewing and the enjoyment of others -- and for that, for the deep support Andrea's given me for almost 20 years now -- I am grateful.

Here's some of what I've been making lately:

I took on Deanne Fitzpatrick's "10-minutes-a-day" rug hooking Challenge for 2024.  I started it in the last week of June, when the kit I ordered for it arrived -- and finished it July 1st!  It's 6" x 17", an odd size as far as mounting it on a canvas goes, so  I'm pondering ordering one of the frames her Studio makes for just this size.  Here's "Little Yellow Flowers", designed by Deanne using the kit, on burlap -- and placing the colours just the way I wanted:

Once that was done, I decided I wanted to play with hooking letters on a plain background, to make a cushion just for me.  I chose the words based on one of Deanne's Sunday Letters -- the essay entitled "Searching for Perfect":

"As we all come to terms with the new normal we have experienced with Covid, there is a bit of a reckoning.  We all realize that things are different now.  Still sometimes we are suddenly taken aback by it all.  We have all been shocked into those new normals around us.  Those sullen moments where you think that it is just so different, are not yours alone.  

I have those moments too.  And in them I turn to my rug hooking and my writing.  I turn to creativity and joy and love and prayer and I try to deepen my relationships with those things.  Because those things are still there.  They are unchanging in the midst of great change.  We need their constancy more than ever...Because making feels right and it brings me back to myself, the self that believes in hope and joy and wonder and love..."   -- Deanne Fitzpatrick, Sunday Letters, Deanne Fitzapatrick Rug Hooking Studio, Amherst, NS, Canada, (c) 2022 - p. 52 (emphasis mine)

I call this little piece, "What Lasts" -- and here is my progress as of yesterday:

 

 I'm learning a lot making this, and the process itself soothes my soul and eases my mind.

It's been very hot in these parts for over two weeks now, so spinning has taken a bit of a back seat.  I love to do it outside, and the early morning is the only time it's been cool enough -- but any sort of yard work I want to do has often claimed priority (useful, right? Sigh...)  Still, I managed to fill a bobbin with the purple-to-pink-to-peach section of the Falklands braid (roving) I won last year in the Two Ewes Summer Spin in:

It's the finest I've ever spun, I think.  My plan is to ply it with a single from black alpaca I still have from a large assortment I was given a year or more ago -- but first I have to spin that up...soon, I hope, now that most of the yardwork I needed to do is done.

On the knitting front, I traded knitting woolly things -- like the vest for my daughter and the pullover for me -- for something in cotton.  I've had the pattern for a summer tee top -- the Vincas tee, from Berocco -- for a long time, and the cotton yarn even longer.  at last the two paired up, and earlier this week I finished the back, and cast on the front!

Photo taken just before back was finished!
Pattern: Vincas
Designer: Berocco Design Team
Yarn: Estelle "Young Touch Cotton DK"

If I plug away, I might have it finished before fall! 😆

As for cross stitch, I declared July to be "Canada Month" and have been working on reproductions of samplers originally stitched by young Canadian girls.  The first one is "Julia Amelia Hounslow (1848)", which was reproduced by The Essamplaire, out of Red Deer, Alberta.  I bought it last year for a Canada Day start -- and after that, set it aside, but this year I finished it!

It's a wee thing, only about 6 1/2" x 7 1/2" on 25-count.  I stitched it on 36-count "Cream and Sugar" by Fiber on a Whim, so it's even smaller.  And I used DMC and a bit of Soie d'Alger from my stash:

I'll make it into a little pillow for my bowl.

Julia Amelia is believed to have stitched her sampler in or around Sweetsburg in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.

My next sampler was reproduced by Kathleen Littleton of Cross-stitch Antiques, and was originally created by another Quebecer: Emeline Hotchkiss (1846).  She was from the area of Lacolle, Quebec, which is a community of about 1,000, and a major border crossing from Quebec to northern NY State.  I grew up near there, and my step-father worked at that crossing (and 2 others) as an officer for Canada Immigration back in the day (he retired in 1978 and with my mother moved west to the Okanagan of B.C.)  

This week I began that sampler, and was intrigued.  I wondered if some folks on FB -- in the public group, Chateauguay Valley Photos and Memories -- would know anything about a Hotchkiss family in Lacolle area over 100 years ago.  I posted an inquiry on the page, and wasn't disappointed!  In the comments, they sent me these treasures:

First, a newspaper item believed to be the death notice of a Mrs. Hotchkiss who very well could have been Emeline's mother:

Next, an Ancestry.com record that could show a connection to other relations, including those in the US.:

And finally, the piece de resistance -- a photo of dear Emeline's headstone.  She died at age fourteen...😢

I decided to try to contact Ms. Littleton, who reproduced the sampler, and she was delighted to have this additional information.  It's a special blessing, indeed, when something so serendipitous happens; this was a highlight of my week.

So I am diligently stitching away on the border of her sampler.  Here's my progress as of last evening:

I'm working it on 40-count Vellum from Picture This Plus, using some called-for DMC and some alternates from my stash that are close to those called for -- ones that weren't available at the LNS/art/craft shop near me.

In addition to "Julia Amelia", I had another finish this month -- a Fully Finished object, that is!  "Cake Tier" became a flat mount applied to the cover of a spiral-bound recipe journal and was mailed off to my friend P. in Westmount (a city within the city of Montreal!) for a belated birthday gift.  My eternal gratitude to Helen D of floss-tube fame (aka East Coast Crafter), whose tutorial on flat mounts was instrumental in how good it looks!

Yes, there's a bit of quilting going on too -- early-ish in the day, when my south-facing studio is still fairly cool.  I'm working on a Very Special Quilt -- which my daughter has commissioned me to make -- a gift for some good friends of hers who have a special anniversary next year.  We chose the pattern and the fabric online (Hamel's Fabrics) almost 2 years ago, because it was the pattern and colours she felt would be most suitable.  

It's the Celtic Knots Quilt kitted through Halcyon Fabrics, using their lovely blues/aquas/cream fabrics (this link to Hamel's info on it is dated June 2022 -- I told you it was a couple of years old!)

It's one of the more complex patterns I've pieced, and of course it had to be 'up-sized' from 90" x 90" to 104" x 104" for a king-sized bed...!  (It's the notion that "Mom can do anything" kicking in again! LOL!)

Anyway, I washed all the fabric (as is my habit), ironed it and labelled it with the colour number as recommended.  This is turning out to be very important, as messing up the colour order would mess up the pattern.  Here's my stack of prepped fabric:

And an example of how I labelled each fabric in the line:

Next I cut the fabrics into strips, rectangles and squares.  The strips were used for strip sets, cross cut to make pairs of squares.  I then assembled 144 (count 'em!) units composed of rectangles and those strip-set units:

Each day for the last three now I've been assembling larger units -- 10 1/2" unfinished -- in groups of five, which will go together to make the final large blocks:

Block set #1

Block set #2

Block set #3

I still have a number of sets of five to assemble, and then some sets of four blocks.  After that...I'm assuming they'll all come together with sashing to make a beautiful whole.

That's all well and good -- but the units I've cut were only for 9 large blocks of 22" (finished) each -- and I need 16 to make the size of quilt desired. So...the process will begin again with the remaining fabric (yes, Hamel's Fabrics owner and staff figured out how much extra we had to buy!) to make the remaining 7 blocks.

Once that's done, there will be an inner border, a narrow 'zinger' and a wider outer border.

Onward!

The last bit of beauty being made around here has been in my garden, which continues to delight me, even as I dead-head dandelions and other spent blossoms, prune deadwood from shrubs and aging ornamental trees, and try to keep the young cats from digging in every bare patch of dirt where seeds were once sown!

Here's just a taste...

Just some of the peonies I brought inside.

This is the first blossom for my youngest peony!

Brown-eyed Susans watching every move
in the meadow!

Poppies competing with daisies under
the big twin willow

Sweet William in pink in the east bed

Nearby, Sweet William in white

And in the aged ornamental on the front lawn,
which I pruned mightily over 2 days, a belated
bouquet of blooms!

And so, my friends, I'll close this l-o-o-o-o-ng post for now, with my usual link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  As I understand it, she has a new job and is working long hours -- meaning that while she might be solving problems creatively, she's definitely been in the "utilitarian" zone.  I hope she has some time to wind down and refocus for a bit...

Stay safe, Gentle Readers, in spite of extreme heat, flooding and/or tornados. May you find beauty every day.

A bientot!

Outside, Inside, All Around the House

 

As usual, the month has flown by -- but at least this month, I know why: there's been a lot going on.  Simply put, I've been "doing all the things": knitting, spinning, stitching, hooking (rugs/mats/art mats, that is) and caring for the yard and garden.  The place has been a-buzz with activity! 😉 The photo at left proves it: a bee enjoying itself on the flowers of my Mountain Ash (aka "Rowan"), taken June 10th.

Those flowers have gone to seed now and are falling everywhere, which is only a small irritant; they're easily swept away -- though not quite so easily removed from a mug of coffee left on an outdoor table (ask me how I know!)

As seems to be the case pretty much everywhere, we've had some odd weather.  After pining for rain in April and early May, we've been innundated with it -- and cool temps -- for much of the month.  That said, the garden beds and my wildflower plantings have been responding well -- 2 zucchini plants are UP, my herbs are showing their noses, the lupines and daisies are in fine form, and I've been enjoying baby leaf lettuce in salad and sandwiches for the last few days.  Yum!

Last week I visited my daughter in Edmonton, helped her a bit with her garden (weeding) and went to Quilt Canada --  Canada's annual national quilt show (not exactly the size of Houston, but large enough to wear out the most intrepid of us in very short order!)  It's organized by the Canadian Quilters' Association (CQA/Courtpointe Canadiennes) -- of which I'm not a member, but I've several friends and acquaintances who are.

Post-poned from 2020 (go figure!) it was nonetheless a Very Good Show, with multiple sections: an art quilt exhibit from around the globe; a young quilters section -- divided into age groups; the TrendTex Challenge section; special displays from Canadian guilds, FAN (Fibre Art Network -- Western Canadian) and of course, the NJS (National Juried Show).

I saw most of it but will admit that I fell in love with only a few showings.  The first of these was the global art quilt project -- inspired by Kim Caskey (Edmonton) and her former tour partner Debbie (USA)...and Ann Hill, a quilt artist and designer from Scotland. (Be still, my heart!)  

Ann herself was at the table monitoring this exhibit -- and we got into an old chin-wag about Scotland, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh (to whom I long to be related as my maiden name is Rennie -- but, alas, I can find no link 😢)  Two women who'd emmigrated from Scotland to Vancouver Island came by (they live near my BIL) so it was Old Home Week -- about Scotland (my very favourite place after Canada) and CRM and more.

Anyway, Ann's work supports fundraising for Alzheimer's Disease as her mother suffered therefrom.  She had a few copies of one of her books -- with patterns, including the Glasgow Rose -- with funds going to that cause, so, having cash on me, I bought it -- and I hope to do at least a couple of the patterns she's created -- even if most of it is applique!

Here's a photo of Ann's quilt that started the exhibit:

Title: "Home is Where the Heart Is"
Artist: Ann Hill, Dumfries, Scotland

Can you figure out why it was one of my favourites?

Hint #1: SHEEP:

A section of "Keziah Campbell" --
with the ewes on the "damn grass" 😉

Hint #2: A little white church, much like the Little Church on the Prairie that was instrumental in the founding of the town of Mirror, Alberta, that became a village, that became a hamlet...

Photo of St. Monica's (Anglican) church
before it was surrounded by the village/hamlet

Moving on...to the TrendTex Challenge...I confess I found many of the contributions to be...um...similar -- but I found this one, which stood out for its unique construction, achieved even while using the required fabrics and adhering to the theme.  The photo shows it full on -- but it's a shallow bowl!

"Prairies to Mountains"
Creator: Patricia Dance

I took very few additional photos at Quilt Canada.  The lighting was a challenge, as well as the spacing of the exhibits and the crowded conditions, which made taking photographs particularly difficult.  I was very taken with the Best of Show, but didn't take a photograph.  I know others have shown it on Facebook and elsewhere.  Trust me; it was exquisitely done and well deserving of the honour.

That said, here are a few of my other favourites -- first, from the Invitational Exhibit, which was composed of quilts that had won awards in other Canadian shows:

"Gossip Girls" - Maggie Butterfield-Dickinson,'
Scarborough, ON
from the Invitational Exhibit

"Salish" - 
Linda Stephen, Cobourg, ON
from the Invitational Exhibit

Next, one from the Fibre Art Network:

"The Twitter Zone" 
-- Linda Ingham 
from the Fibre Art Network exhibit, "Resist"

And from the National Juried Show -- an Alberta entry I particularly liked (and I know the creator)...

"Slice of Calgary" -- Margaret Jessop,
Calgary, AB -- from the National Juried Show
(Calgary is Edmonton's chief rival...)

And then there was this one...reminding me of where I now live, and the winter landscape I've recreated in my work -- my "Viewer's Choice" from the National Juried Show:

"Prairie Evening" - Deanna Corrigan,
Qualicum Beach, B.C.

Deanna's piece features hand-dyed and commercial cottons -- assembled using 1/4" strips (!) -- and thread-painted accents for the fence line and trees. Be still, my heart!

And you can probably tell why I love it...from this piece I created with paint, fabric, thread-sketching and needle-felting -- which is now available at Curiosity Art & Framing in Red Deer, AB:

"On the Edge of Mirror III" (c) 2020
20" W x 16" L
Textiles and paint on stretched canvas.

I think Deanna and I might be soul sisters...even though we've never met!

Staying in Edmonton for a couple of nights was at test -- of both my nerves, and those of the "kittens" (now about a year old) and Miss Pookie, my 12-year-old Elder Cat.  They apparently survived -- though not a scrap of food was left in the large bowls and feeder with which I left them.  Their relationships may have improved slightly, but none of them is letting on...!!

The day after I came home from Quilt Canada, I took my Pfaff to the shop in Camrose for a tune-up.  Alas, my 'back-up' Husqvarna Lily 555 went too -- it needs a repair.  By mid-July, though, all should be home and in Good Running Order.

Blessedly, the weather has been such that I can either mow/weed/garden or stitch/spin outside, or stitch/hook inside.

I've joined the "Summer Spin-In" with Two Ewes Fiber Adventures on Ravelry, and will be adding the "Tour de Fleece" in July -- on Team Canada (of course!) -- doing both concurrently.  I won two beautiful braids of combed top from the Spin-in last year -- they arrived in March this year -- so here is what I've started with: 100% Falkland, hand-painted...Z-twist because my 'go-to' spin is clock-wise and short-ish draw:

I've started with the purples-into-pinks, but here's what the braid colours look like altogether:

Aren't they beautiful?!

Purples, pinks, peaches, yellows and greys!

I'm a very casual spinner, so will be taking the "easy way out" and simply spinning one colour after another from purple to pink to peach to yellow...and then into grey.  I'm thinking of marling the singles with black (or not).  Time will tell.  I love marls!

For the summer (at least) hooking yarn has replaced quilting.  I've fallen in love with Deanne Fitzpatrick and her art!  I know I've mentioned this before and have posted about my learning curve HERE and HERE.  Recently, Deanne put out her "10 Minute-a-day Challenge" -- and I fell.  Hard.  I even treated myself to a KIT!  I selected "Little Yellow Flowers" because it reminded me of all those (@@!!**) dandelions in my "meadow".  Surely I could get more mileage out of them -- not just jam, but inspiration! 😉 

Here's my progress after a week's work:

And  yes, at time of writing I've done even more.  Not only that, but in the process of this project, I've designed two new pieces and ordered wool yarn and (cut) fabric for a third!

I wrote my friend Maureen recently that I might end up having new work for a new booth at the Lacombe Show in 2025.  Don't hold me to it!  BUT it's motivation -- and it's getting my "art mojo" back in gear!

What has been of immeasurable comfort these days has been Deanne's philosophy, expressed in her weekly "Lives" (see her YouTube channel here) and in the book "Sunday Letters", which my friend S. gave me not long ago.  I've gone back and listened to earlier podcasts.  I've listened to the interview she did with CBC/s "Tapestry" (which I've saved as the host has now retired).  I cannot say enough about how this practice has, with my knitting and cross-stitch, enabled the 'hand-over-hand' process to bury itself deeply into my heart and soul and psyche.  It is helping me find contentment (and maybe -- just maybe -- some joy) in the face of the World's Mess.

Aside from hooking, I've been knitting.  Socks continue.  I've got past the armhole shaping on my daughter's vest...and I've switched out to a bit of cotton, for a tee-top for me (eventually).  It's a pattern I've had in mind for some years, and I dug into Deep Stash to get the yarn:

Pattern: "Vincas" -- a tee top from Berroco
Yarn: Estelle Yarns "Young Touch Cotton DK" 
(discontinued)

The pattern has me playing with bands of different stitches, but they're kind of fun.  The yarn is a very loosely-plied cotton (as all cottons are, methinks!) but I love the colour and have had it in stash for a good long time, so it was time to use it.  It's rather fun, actually  -- one of those projects wherein you keep knitting to see how it'll turn out!  😆

And there is always cross-stitch.  While I've been working away on "Ann Perrin 1841" from Jeannette Douglas, this week I decided that it was time to dig out something Spring/Summer so I went back to the quartet of pieces I'm doing from Blackbird Designs' "A Heart Remembers".  Yes, there are FIVE pieces joined together, but I'm leaving out the Big White House and so...only four for me.  This one -- "Rites of Spring" -- is the second, and here is my progress as of last evening:

I've only the very bottom right corner to finish, so that will be my focus for the rest of this weekend -- or until it's finished (whichever comes first!)

And now, Gentle Readers, I've gone on long enough.  It's time for supper...time to wind down at the end of this day.  As usual, I will link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  She's still finding her footing in her new job -- but the good news is that she's finding that spark, she's lighting her Little Art Spirit (as Deanne would call it) in the wake of her new job...So I wish you all blessings.

This weekend in Canada we mark Canada Day (July 1) -- and I know my US readers are marking July 4 later this week. This year is Very Important in the life of that nation...so I send out prayers for hope, strength, courage, truth, honesty, inclusion, liberty and so much more.

Blessings to all...until next time...a bientot!

World-wide "Knit In Public" Day...And other Things

Saturday, June 8 this year, was designated "Worldwide Knit in Public Day". That day -- and off and on this week -- it's been cold and rainy here, so I've been knitting (I do some every day) -- but not outside in public -- or even inside in public! 😉

June 8th was also my mother's birthday -- and she was the person who taught me how to knit in the first place. She learned how to knit from her mother, and when I was about 8, she taught me. I've been knitting ever since, rarely stopping. I made a pair of cables and lace "over the knee" stockings when I was in high school -- back when we wore garter belts to hold them up.

I knit lace shawls on commission in university. I knit for my kids, and my friends' kids, socks and baby outfits and shawls and chemo caps. Toques and mittens for refugees. Cowls as special gifts for family and friends. Sweaters for myself. Socks and hats on commission. Baby socks for friends' grandchildren (out of scraps) as I have no grandchildren of my own.

My current projects include a vest for my daughter for Xmas 2024 and her birthday in early 2025 (yes, it's for TWO occasions), and a pair of socks to replace a pair that I think may have been destroyed in a house fire. I'm on the foot of the first sock of the pair, and the vest currently looks like this -- at 21" from hem to under-arm.

Pattern: Presto VestoPresto Vesto
Designer: Amy Gunderson 
in Knitty.com - Winter 2023
Yarn: Midknit Cravings Comfort Sport
in the 'Shiraz' colour-way

It's time for a fitting of the vest, so until I see my daughter (next week), I've taken out something else to work on: a Work In Progress (WIP) that I started last October.  It's the "Cilin Sweater", and it's for me (eventually).  I'm making it from a yarn that I'd originally put into another sweater -- a sweater that I frogged 🐸 because I knew I'd never wear it.  

So far, I love the Cilin, which starts with knitting the cable panel that runs up the front.  I know for a fact that I love it, because it's taken me three tries to get the pattern right!  Here's a photo taken last evening; I've done another several rows since then:

Pattern: Cilin Sweater
Designer: Vera Marcu
in Interweave Knits, Fall 2023
Yarn: Austermann Marina in colour #37

I've knit at the doctor's office (it lowers my blood pressure). I've knit on the bus when commuting to work (decades ago now, a friend (and fellow commuter) referred to me as "The Lady Who Knits on the Bus"). I've knit while walking to work or elsewhere -- causing people to stare while we were stopped at intersections, back when I lived in the city.

I don't need a special day to show off my knitting. I knit every day; I have a knitting bag (with a wallet) for when I go shopping -- in case, on the way home, I'm stalled at the train corssing.

When my sweet DH died in 2006, my hands would do NOTHING but knit for months. It is my solace, my comfort, my meditation, my prayer. It is my way to express love for my family and friends.

Yes, I do other crafts -- quilting for art and for comfort; cross-stitch; hooked art -- but knitting was my first love and so it will always be.

Speaking of comfort quilting...Since my last post, I've finished the second throw quilt for that young couple who lost everything in a house fire a couple of months ago. They've found a rental space and are settling in for a while, returning their lives to some semblance of 'normalcy'. I hope these two quilts will add to their comfort as they move forward and rebuild:

Pattern: "Four-Patch Fun"
Designer: Bonnie Hunter
from her "Addicted to Scraps" column
in Quiltmaker Magazine, Jan/Feb 2024

While it's high time I took my trusty sewing machine in for a tune-up, I keep putting it off, as I'm still wanting to piece! Last week I finished another two blocks in the Block-Of the-Month (BOM) for June, designed by Sherri of A Quilting Life:

June BOM - "A Quilting Life"
8 1/2" unfinished
Fabric: Thimbleberries left-overs

There are two size options: 8" finished and 16" finished; I've decided to make two each of the smaller size. I'll have 24 blocks by year-end, and Sherri designs setting options that will be revealed in early December. By then I'll have decided if I want to make more of these blocks (maybe another one of each for a total of 36). I'm using left-over Thimbleberries fabric I've had for decades, so what's left will determine how far I can go with this!

Cross-stitch continues too. I've reached the red sweater for the sheep on "Fred's Ewe-nifying Question" from Silver Creek Samplers, but have done little more on "Ann Perrin 1841", because I started a new piece -- a gift for a friend's up-coming birthday. I've made stitched pieces for her before -- baking themed, as she loves to bake -- so it's probably not surprising that when I found Erin Elizabeth's "Baking Tier" I knew I had to make it up for my friend. It's a small patter that I think I'll turn into either a tile or a flat-fold. As of last evening, I was nearing the bottom of the piece, which I started about two weeks ago:

Design: "Baking Tier"
Designer: Erin Elizabeth Designs
Fabric: 28-count natural linen
Floss: called-for DMC

Since this photo was taken,, I've finished the motif next to the spoon on the bottom, the tiny motif next to the red bowl on the right end of the shelf above, and stitched the shelf with the lace trim under the bottom row of motifs.

This weekend the "Alberta Cross Stitchers" group on Facebook is having it's "June Push", so I'm going to use the weather (iffy at best -- cool -- with showers/thundershowers possible) as a reason to spend the entire time stitching -- right after I finish this blog post! 😆

And then there's hooked art. I've not talked much about it because it's a relatively new craft for me. Checking my blog archives, the last time I mentioned it was, I think, in November last year. I took up the craft at first, at the urging of a friend, who is a great fan of Canada's reknowned hooked rug artist, Deanne Fitzpatrick, who has a studio in Amherst, Nova Scotia. I wasn't all that keen at first, but then my friend sent me Deanne's beautiful book, Sunday Letters. I savoured it every night at bed-time, one letter at a time, and by the end of it knew I had to try this out. I sent for a beginner kit, which I finished -- and which now hangs in my bedroom.

Since then I've designed two of my own pieces. The first is "Something's Brewing!", an 8" square piece mounted on a painted board, that's now on exhibit (and available for purchase) in the gallery at Curiosity Art and Framing in Red Deer, Alberta, where I have my art quilts:

Last week I finished the second piece -- the one I was working on when I wrote that post last November:

All the Pretty Poppies (c) 2024
8" x 20" - mounted on stretched canvas

It's inspired by a photo I took of baby poppies that were coming up last summer, under the big willows in my hoped-for meadow.  On the left is the photo; on the right, a 'pixelated' version I used as inspiration for hooking the piece:

It will end up in the gallery too, I hope -- eventually -- or (better still) in someone's home!

I've no new original pieces in mind to hook yet, but Deanne's started her  "10-Minutes-a-Day" Challenge -- so I splurged and bought myself a full kit to play with.  It's due to arrive next week, so more on that in a future post.  Stay tuned!

Of course, being on my own, I've had to Take Care of Business around the house and yard this spring, as dictated by the weather.  This past week I finally found a couple of calm, sunny days -- so the automatic garage door got it's joints oiled and was given a new coat of paint.  Also sanded, cleaned and painted are the railings on my back stoop.  Deadwood in my aging ornamental fruit trees got pruned, raw fleece mulch was applied on flower and veggie beds so they'll retain more of what little moisture we've had (or expect to get), and the grass on both the regular lawn and the 'meadow' has been mowed.  Before mowing I dead-headed as many dandelions as I could, but that's a nearly impossible task so...there will be more of them (and more jam!) next year.

Meadow-wise, the poppies, batchelor buttons, daisies and lupines are coming up. The few wildflower plugs I can find from the multitude I planted last year are doing just fine.  No idea where their siblings are, however.

In the flower beds, the purple irises have blossomed and are being followed now by yellow ones.  And the allium -- newcomers to my beds -- don't seem to be doing well, but as I've not had experience with them before, all I can do is watch and wait.

As I close, I see the sun is shining -- tentatively -- and although it's decidedly cool for a mid-June morning, and the clouds are swirling in the north/north-west, I think it's time for a brisk walk before I settle to stitching.  I leave you with a link to the "party" over at Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday, and wish you all comfort and contentment this weekend, wherever you find it.  A bientot!