My Creative Space

Hi.  Over at My Creative Space again this week with lots of lovely crafty people.  I've actually been doing a bit of sewing this week, attempting to make Tessuti's Valerie top, which looks pretty straightforward except that I have used this beautiful satin fabric (kind of Japanese looking) which is slipping around like a fish all over the place and is so far a dismal failure.  I have pulled a thread right across the front of it, so badly that I think I'm going to have to get more fabric and cut another front.  So I'm a bit bummed about that, and too chicken to post any photos just yet!

But I've also been doing a bit of bookbinding, making some more blank books / sketchbooks out of some lovely thick blank paper, covered with old maps and pieces of paper I have collected over the years.  Sometimes they are just slivers of paper bags from my favorite bookshops, so small you would hardly notice, but it is enough to make me daydream for a while when I look at them.  The one I used this time was from Berkelouw Books in Eumundi.  Sigh.... if only I had a magic wand.  Anyway, not quite sure what I'm going to do with all of these blank books.  I guess one can never have too many sketchbooks, right?

Home Grown

We got all enthusiastic about our vege garden this year, after moving into our new house.  It has been such a beautiful sunny summer this year.  Almost no rain for months.  The rest of the garden has really suffered but we were a bit more careful with this little patch .  The best thing has been the telegraph cucumbers, which started out as one tiny little seedling and has now crawled all the way off the garden bed and down the path, producing at least twenty huge cucumbers.

What do you think of the purple capsicum?  Looks better than it tasted unfortunately. It was an interesting texture, but quite dry and not very fleshy on the inside.  It has inspired me to see what interesting varieties I can grow from seed next year though.

Camping

We've just returned from a two week camping trip to Great Barrier Island.  A four and a half hour ferry ride from Auckland, this has to be one of the most beautiful, unspoilt places in the country.  Days spent reading, swimming, exploring and traipsing backwards and forwards to the beach.

Our twice daily commute to the beach.

Heading home

It feels a bit strange to be back in the city, with so many things to do and so little time to do them.

I took a couple of projects along with me, but only managed to get stuck into one. Too much reading, dreaming and making plans!

This shirt started out as a purchase from the menswear section from a local opshop. A couple of hours later, and here it is as a tank. A super easy Wiksten Tank. I must start remembering to take 'before' photos!