I spent most of the day working in my studio as I needed to make foliage for the background of my textile piece. I hooped some green organza, set the sewing machine on free-motion zigzag 2.0 and proceeded to free-motion small segments to represent tree foliage. The bobbin had a mid green and the top thread was a darker shade. To get a variation in colour, small torn bits of green tulle were trapped and stitched onto the organza.
This year I've had a difficult time getting my head around doing any new work. Life takes over sometimes. Well, I finally started to get my act together and started something new. This is just a small tidbit of the textile piece I'm doing of St. John's, NL. I don't have all the detail in this part yet as there are no chimneys shown and the clapboard on the pink house still has to be done. If you look carefully, you'll see a blue stick pin holding a bush in place. These pieces haven't been sewn down yet. 
I just transferred pictures from my digital camera and remembered I did not post the cobblestone quilt blocks that were made by the Eastern Edge Quilters. These blocks will be made into a quilt by our outreach committee and then donated to some charity here in St. John's.
A couple of years ago, I designed and created a Sewing Portfolio (scroll down) which was exhibited at the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador Member's Exhibit, Devon House. That particular piece was sold at the gallery opening. The piece featured here is one I made for myself.
In 2005, I was contacted by Carla A. Cantonica, publisher of A Needle Pulling Thread, a new Magazine promoting Canadian needlework. Carla asked if I would design and create a piece for the spring 2006 Volume 1 Issue 2 of her magazine. Apparently she had seen one of my fantasy fish pins that a friend had and liked it. I agreed to do something and the result is my Garden Sewing Box. This piece started as a sketch showing various parts of my own garden and evolved into the piece you see here. When I start sewing, things change as I go along and the drawings are sometimes ignored, modified and/or adapted to suit the evolving idea. But that is part of the creative process. This is a functional piece with an inside box that comes out for easy accessibility of my sewing tools. Included in the box is a small embroidered needle case to match the outside, pockets for various things and a pincushion. I found a jewelery magnetic clasp at Michael's that was perfect to stitch onto the inside of the box to hold my needle. The closure for the top is large hooks & eye that go together perfectly. The feet are made from thin cording knotted to form balls and stitched in place.The full pattern for the box are published in the magazine.
My mother is 88 years old. At her stage in life, she is trying to get rid of things. For presents, she wants only 'stuff' she can wear or eat!. Well, a number of years ago, I was at my wits end as to what to get her. I had been making small fabric fish for my art work and it suddenly dawned on me that she has collected small pins to wear on her clothes for years. That sudden inspiration lead to a line of wearable art pins(scroll down). I make some images by stitching them by free motion on my sewing machine. Others have been designed and converted to stitch for my embroidery machine. Needless to say, my mother usually gets # 1 of each new design. Here's a few samples of my pins:
Last evening was the St. John's Guild of Embroiderers monthly meeting. Here are the ATC's that were received during March.
The gold and blue sampler piece was stitched as part of a hand embroidery (level 5 ) course I took. It is worked on silk. 
Beginner's Guide to Goldwork by Ruth Chamberlin provides a good introduction to Goldwork embroidery. This book explains the historical development of the style and includes a complete introduction to supplies and techniques used. The photos are excellent!
At the November meeting of the Eastern Edge Quilters, three of the members demonstrated how to make Japanese Kimono Ornaments. It was a very enjoyable evening. Permission to do this was granted by Ursula Riegel, the designer. Have a look at her patterns.
I finally finished decorating my living room Christmas Tree! Here's a picture of it. Three smaller ones to go. My tree skirt is a purchased panel that I put together years ago. My daughter has a crazy quilted one that I made her from scraps of clothes from when she was a young child. 
