It's back!

 Thanks to Mo the Mending the sky pennant has come home on a tidal wave of love with some extras that will be cherished and the lace will be incorporated into my work at some point. So glad I took part in this amazing adventure. Thank you so much Mo!

Mending the sky- finished!

 At last I finished it and got it into the post to Australia for Mo to join the great gathering.

On the back I stitched its title and 'love is the answer'. My sky is full of birds as I wish our skies could truly be, full of diverse species in large numbers.
Back from holiday, I am on a mission this week to finish a few older pieces so I can start my new theme with a clear pin board!

Birds on Mending the Sky.

 I have finished all the birds. I have chosen a selection, sea birds, waders, swifts and swallows that we see from the garden. Some are endangered. We have to keep the habitats for them all. Sea clean and air unpolluted. It is all about Mo's theme mending this beautiful broken world.

 Lapwing and avocet.

 Barnacle goose.

 The top

The bottom part. Now it is cloud stitching and backing to finish.

Some more birds plus some wild orchids.

 More birds going into the sky.

 The fabric ( piece of a wedding dress) is very fragile but then so is the ecosystem. So I am putting in seeding stitches as stay stitches - hence mending the sky.

 These are our swifts that come and nest in our cottage roof each year.

 This is our new pond area. It was hot at the weekend and the best time was sitting under the new parasol pond watching. We have tadpoles and damselflies.

 Yesterday we went on a wildflower walk at Westonbirt Aboretum- common spotted orchid.

 Butterfly orchid,

Twayblade. Really worth going out with experts- so many names to learn and interesting facts.

More birds for Mending the Sky.

 So I am thinking about mending this world  (so much to do, so little time) and the birds have to endure so much pollution, climate change, plastic waste etc. etc. The migrating birds could really tell us a story. Do they sit on their nests and moan about the weather, poor fish stocks and tummy ache from plastic beads inside them? No they just get on with life. I digress! This is a Bewick swan that migrates from tundra to our WWT Slimbridge ( and other areas)

 Then a gannet, because I love their diving. I am choosing birds that I have a connection with. I only stitch ones that I have seen, although a wandering albatross would be a good one for this project.

There will be about 10 birds in all I think. I am sprinkling some seeding stitches in the sky for supporting the fabric and adding texture to the sky. Then I will back the whole piece and stitch through all the layers and fold back the edging. See other pennants and Mo Crows project on her blog ( see my side bar)
P.S. The summer book sold straight away in Cheltenham! Always a good boost to the ego and encouragement to keep working.

Summer pictures and Mo's pennant.

 The exhibition in Bristol is finished and was a great success. I sold Winter into Spring and two of the little sketchbooks, Winter and Spring. These two summer pieces have gone to the Guild at 51 in Cheltenham. ( Summer flowers and the Summer Book.

 I am now working on Mo's pennant. I painted the long thin triangular piece, called Mending the Sky and embroidered the first bird, an oystercatcher. This is a piece that will fly off to Australia to be part of a wonderful installation - see the label below and look at Mo Crows blog to find out more. Pennants are winging their way from all over the world!

Beginnings.

 I didn't get to the opening last Saturday. I have had a week of tiredness, muscle pain and general unwellness. ( no such word but you know what I mean) But that seems to be going and these things ebb and flow. Cold weather again doesn't help but worrying about it certainly doesn't. So best to relax into it, accept and take pleasure in small things. We hope to visit the ex soon and then there will be photographs.  SO moving on ........ I am putting some old bias binding around the edge of my pennant for Mo's project- Mending this broken world - see Mo Crows blog on my side bar if you don't know about it.

 Here is my strip of wedding dress spread out on my work desk. Tidy for me believe it or not! My new sketchbook in brown made by Ursula Jeakins from the Glos Guild of Craftsmen.

 It was glorious yesterday and my friend Helen,  Haggis and I walked Roundabout lane spotting wild flowers. We saw 3 different types of butterfly ( peacock, orange-tip and tortoiseshell) lots of wild flowers and swallows around the Farm barns. This is ground ivy ( inside that new sketchbook) - I draw in the hope to remember and learn names. The flowers are a deep purple blue. Small and common but perfectly beautiful.

Lastly, large and perfectly glorious a cherry tree at Westonbirt Aboretum. A Japanese visitor was seen bowing to this tree. I think we should all do the same.

Pennant hanging in the blue.

 It was a lovely morning yesterday so I washed my pennant from Mo and hung it on the washing line.

The blue sky behind gave me an idea. I have ironed and backed it with blue fabric and intend to make a feature of the holes. The sunshine brightened the fabric. I think it will be called Mending the Sky. I have an idea of birds in flight and darning stitches.

Pennant has arrived from Australia!

My piece of wedding dress has arrived from Mo in Australia. See Its Crow Time - blog on the side bar. Thank you Mo. I will begin to dream what to do ...............