It’s been raining here, raining a lot, last week it felt like it would never end. But of course it did eventually and now there are signs of spring everywhere. Apologies to those in the east struggling though freezing temperatures and mountains of snow, but we have daffodils poking their heads out!

There are umbrella’s up in this image but it wasn’t too bad!

The wet weather and warm temperatures have brought out the most amazing fungi. I really don’t know much about mushrooms but I have always been attracted to the shapes and colours. These are about eye-level on the side of a tree.

But these ones were a little lower… at ground level, which had me bum up, camera in hand. I think the other “regulars” in the park are getting used to me, they don’t stare quite as much as they used to.

I love the colour gradation and the texture on these.

Rainy days are perfect for hiding out in the studio and I have got quite a bit done in the past week. The Great Blue Heron quilt is finally done and named, I’m calling it Heron’s Long Legs. I quilted the legend that originally inspired the design that tells how heron got his long legs into the background, so the name seemed a good fit.

and here’s a close up…

I’ll be teaching Heron’s Long Legs in the UK a bit later this year, April 15th and 16th at the Bramble Patch in Weedon and on the 20th at Coles Sewing Center in Nottingham.

I’ve been making fish! as part of the Shake Hand Project. The project originates with The Textile Design Association of Japan and 25 decorated fish were contributed by the North Shore Needle Arts Guild. The TDA of Japan came together to create activities for the people of the little fishing village of Tohoku which was hard hit in the 2011 Earthquake and tsunami. The goal is to create items that would allow the people of the village to make things as group projects, aiding in their healing so they can return to their homes.

The name ‘Shake Hand’ is from the Japanese word for salmon which is “shake” and “hand” is for hand-made. As the salmon return to their rivers, here’s hoping the villagers will be able to return home.

Here’s one of my little guys all decorated and ready to go and the rest of the school he joined up with before heading to Japan.

I’ve also got my Cherry Blossom entry underway…here’s a sneak peek, which looks really (really!!) bright. It’s not quite that bright in reality honest, but the photo was taken late at night with a flash and oh well….

Hope there are signs of spring where you are,

Catherine

Wow! that went fast, January I mean, I feel like I missed it completely.

There’s been lots going on, lots and lots but its ‘ll sorts of stuff rather than one big thing and that is making me feel a bit scattered, even more than usual.

Here’s a quick roundup of what’s been happening… The highlight of the month was a flying visit (she only stayed a week!) by Edwina Mackinnon. The middle of January isn’t the usual time for visitors to choose to come to Vancouver, but thankfully the weather co-operated.  We had a few walks in the forest, a trip to the Squamish to visit Elizabeth Harris at her studio and another to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Here’s Edwina and the amazing Ai Wei Wei installation “Bang” it is a stunning 886 antique stools and replicas.

There is a long history around these 3 legged stools in China, they were a part of everyday life and handed down through the generations until the 1960’s when the wood stools were sadly replaced with plastic versions.

One of the best things about January are the Seville oranges! this year I managed to find some and get the marmalade made, not bad eh?

A few hours of chopping and squeezing and boiling, gets you this, hopefully enough to last till next year.

I’ve been holed up in the studio a lot this month which is good because the rain just isn’t stopping . My river retreat is full to overflowing and moving too quickly to let Ned anywhere near it, which he really doesn’t like. If you stand quietly you can actually hear the muffled thuds of the boulders shifting underneath the water, it’s an amazing thing.

I’ve been working on several projects this past month, all of them still under wraps for a while yet!  I’ve been finishing up quilting and all the details on my new heron design, getting my cherry blossom entires ready for jurying and preparing for the opening of mended!

Bye for now, Catherine