Hello Creative Dabblers! Welcome to this month’s newsletter.
Quilts
As usual, I have several hand piecing and appliqué projects on the go. I’ve also started hand quilting one quilt. I like having several pieces to work on. As someone who gets bored easily, the ability to choose which project I stitch each time is a bonus. I sometimes even finish them.
I love reading about other quilters and seeing their work. This interview with Sara Buscaglia, a textile artist who works with natural dyes derived from plants is worth reading.
I want to give a special shout-out to my friend Deborah Segaert, who received the Hall of Fame Award in recognition of her long-term service in the quilting and sewing industry at the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne last week. Yay Deb!
Gardens
I spent several hours on Saturday attempting to remove onion weed (Allium triquetrum) from a section of my front garden bed. I say “attempting” because this introduced weed is stealthy – its tiny bulbs reproduce so quickly and so widely that it is difficult to eradicate. Still, I try because it’s colonising one of my beds. According to Penny Woodward, the leaves, flowers and bulbs can all be eaten (but I won’t be doing that). The flowers are pretty but I have way too many in this section. At least if I can stop it flowering and setting seed, that may help.
I guess everyone has a different tolerance for plants commonly described as weeds. It’s just a matter of drawing the line somewhere, otherwise they can hinder the growing conditions of plants you prefer to thrive.
I planted bulbs as well as removed them. A friend had given me a couple of bags of narcissus bulbs and I planted some liberally around the garden. There are still more to spread around and I have a bag of mixed tulip bulbs to plant next month. Although they are actually corms, not bulbs, I also have planted some ranunculi, with more to go in.
This is all in the hope that there will be glorious blooms in spring. Gardeners are optimists and planners, tucking these precious capsules of life into the ground to slumber through winter until the ground warms up again in the following season. Fingers crossed.
Did you know plants can sense sound and respond to it my making sounds themselves? This article suggests that plants in distress could be silently screaming at you. I don’t think I could bear it if I could hear such noises!
If you can’t deal with indoor plants dying, look at these stunning flowers and plants created with glass and wire by Hollie Ryan. They are extraordinary.
Writing and books
Don’t you love it when you discover a new-to-you author? I recently read The Gardener by Salley Vickers and am now keen to read all her other novels. You can read my review here.
I’m hoping a writing workshop I’m taking on Saturday will help me sort through my current piece of writing. It’s a memoir writing workshop with Christine Sykes and Gwen Wilson and is organised by our local Friends of the Library. You can read about it here. How great it is to have face-to-face workshops again!
What are you enjoying? Are you making quilts, nurturing your garden or reading good stories? Let me know!
