I'm still here...but look where I've been

Desert Oaks near Alice Springs.

Uluru (Ayr's Rock)

Red Centre landscape near Uluru.

View from the rim walk at Ormiston Gorge.

Wow! Is it really that long since I last wrote in this blog.

Life has taken over...a new job, a trip away and my Mum came to stay for 3 weeks - all ended up with me getting very distracted by life.


I was all set to photograph my recent TAST stitches at the weekend - only to find that my camera has died - I need to get it to the camera shop to find out if they can fix it. E18 apparently and some horrible clunking noises - the shutter won't open. Sigh....I feel as if I have lost a limb.


So I thought I'd pick something from my last trip away - to the Red Centre in October (Alice Springs and its surrounding area). What a beautiful, spectacular, spiritual place. I feel honoured to be able to visit. Obviously I took hundreds of photos ;-) , and this is just a taster. I'll include a few more in my next post and hopefully some TAST stitches too.

For the record I have now a sampler that includes: reversed buttonhole band, linked double chain, twisted satin stitch, zigzag spanish knotted stitch and pekinese. So I am there with you all, hanging on by the coat-tails as we come into the final few weeks!

knotted buttonhole chain

I'm not sure why but this stitch makes me think of ancient jewellery and archaeological digs - maybe Celtic bands. So the sample had to be in rich opulent colours and the "chain" had to be gold. I feel I want to add more stitching to this. I'm just not sure how or what yet...but it will come to me.
I had a great day at my art class yesterday. We did assemblage and I'm really pleased with what I did...a little treasure chest. I'll take some photos and post soon.
I started a new job today and we are off on holiday to Alice Springs and Ayr's Rock (Uluru) at the weekend - so life I'm definitely living life to the full. We have booked a 4WD campervan - I'm so looking forward to experiencing desert and wilderness. The skies are supposed to be amazing...
Then my Mum is coming to visit from the UK for 3 weeks, which will be wonderful. I'll do my best to keep up with TAST - it is a way of life at the moment!!

Cross Rice Boss

Just a quick post today. I enjoyed doing this week's TAST stitches - but it was very time consuming!

It's hard to believe that we are in week 38 this week...and I'm still going. I'm really enjoying the weekly challenge and almost keeping up. I've skipped a few stitches and still plan to catch up with them sometime soon. Those I have skipped are: cretan, crossed buttonhole, crested chain, shisha (to get the hang of it!) and this week's stitch, which is knotted buttonhole band.

Rockpool swirls

This is the picture of the amazing rockpool I saw near Port Stephens in New South Wales - north of Sydney.

Don't the colours and shapes sing! I love the way the seaweed floats to the surface and the shapes of the seaweed echo the sea-snail trails on the orange sandstone. You can feel the movement of the wind and water just by looking at it.

Wouldn't it make an amazing embroidery?!

Cable Chain Seaweed

As soon as Sharon B suggested this cable chain for this week's TAST challenge, I thought of seaweed. You know, that one that bursts when you stand on it on the beach. As a kid it was a regular beach activity, along with rock-pooling and building sandcastles. I like to think of it as an old fashioned version of the bubble wrap! In England there is one called bladder wrack (great name isn't it?). There seem to be lots of different types - the ones when I was growing up were muted green and browns.

I found a fantastic set of rock pools last year near Port Stephens in New South Wales, just up the coast from Sydney that would make an intriguing embroidery. I'll put the picture in the next post to do it justice!

I have always loved rock pools and still they are my favourite thing at the beach - only now I take my camera. I can spend hours looking into them to see what is caught by the tide and hiding in a corner. A whole world in a pool of water...

Shishas, Scrolls and Portugese Stems

I really enjoyed scroll stitch and portugese stem. Once you get the hang of them you could go for miles! They make lovely textured lines and I could see them being used in a thicker thread for some realy punchy height. Top picture - on handprinted calico.

The shisha stitch is one I have wanted to learn for ages. So I was delighted when Sharon B (InAMinuteAgo) made it the TAST stitch of the week. My first feeble effort is shown above. I will have another go and hopefully have more success. It is on a base of free machine embroidery over threads, sari yarn and fabric snips (which were originally on soluble fabric).

I'm looking forward to next week already!

Catching up with life...Starry Doodle Cloth

Where is the time going? Have I said that before?!

The new job is going fine - but I am struggling to keep up with my creative hobbies.

So I am multiplying stitches for TAST. I like the idea of a doodle-cloth and have done a starry one to learn single stitches. I may add to it, if I think other stitches will work in a star shape.

So this one has basque stitch, wheatsheaf stitch, lazy daisy, half chevron and some cross stitch variations...

I just love orange and turquoise together!