Monday 9 May 2011

Sitting Stitching.......

I've been playing with my embellishing machine over the past few days...mainly to provide something for me to stitch onto :-) This started life as a flower corsage which went completely wrong so I chopped it up and felted it onto a (wet felted) background. Now it looks like a cocoon :-(


But this definitely isn't a landscape.......... ;-)




My favourite flower of the moment (now the bluebells have gone) is my Nectaroscordum.
I believe it belongs to the allium family. I love this one's bendy stem.
I'm taking photos of it at various stages of growth and have started doing some sketches and digital art with the intention of creating designs for a new project I have in mind. More later.....


Whilst I was in the garden today I spotted this brown blob on the hydrangea.......


.......got in a little closer......



...and touched it.......eeek!!!!!


Photo isn't brilliant but you can click on it for a better view.


One of the big garden debates this spring has been what to do with the dead cordylines....they are in gardens everywhere! Ours is over 5' tall.
I took off all the dead leaves.......
....and now Peachy uses it as a climbing frame! :-)
Fortunately its not on full view as its at the side of the house.
Apparently they can still sprout......but I'm not convinced.
I took a photo of the bark today; how many faces can you see???

I think I can see an owl too....... :-)


BTW...this is how it looked last summer (if you click on the photo please excuse blue bin and bag of compost) .

22 comments:

ju-north said...

Eeek indeed!

Gemma said...

Eeee tiny spids! :-)
Gem
x

Jan said...

I love your felting play and look forward to seeing what you do further with it. I have put my embellisher away for the time being, I want to pull it back out and play some more!
Baby spiders, they look like the same kind I have here.

What an exotic bird in your tree! Don't cut it down, it is an interesting feature in your lovely yard and yes, I definitely see faces in there too! I like the new header.

Maggi said...

Nice stitching and photos. Joe swift says to cut cordylines back to ground level. If they are still alive they will come back strong and healthy from there. Pity to lose all those eyes though.

Shashi Nayagam said...

Your stitching project is looking lovely as always. I wonder how the baby spiders managed to hang on together there must have been hundreds of those isn't it.
The dead cordylines looks like a feature in the garden. It may yet surprise you by sprouting who knows. There are lots of gargoyle faces that I can see on trunk.

ShabbyChicShaz said...

I found a tiny nest of spiders like that in one of my old metal watering cans, I wasn't as brave as you, to come back and photograph it, I haven't been near it since :) I have two dead cordylines and the smaller is used as a climbing frame by Billyboy and the other a scratching post. I don't know of any that survived the winter. Like the idea of a toy at the top, you do look after your Prince Peachy - what a cutie! Loving your stitching, great use of colour as always :)

Heather said...

I love your stitched embellished pieces - very inspiring. I've never seen anything like your 'brown blob' - amazing. How kind of the cordyline to leave you with such an interesting feature. The bark looks just like a wonderful weird woodcarving.

Anonymous said...

Fun stitching pieces, you are back and it's great to visit. Sorry about your tree, but I am sure Peachy doesn't mind a bit! Looks a bit like a carved totem pole with hawk faces to me. xox Corrine

Iz said...

love the embellisher pieces - particularly the one that isn't a landscape!

Lorraine said...

i had them in my greenhouse horrible things..at least your cordyline is being used mine has got all bird feeders on it and a washing line as it was about 30ft tall!..shame. Like your felting stitches. Do you get emails off Colourlicious? they used to have the talking threads programme and some of their emails contain links to excellent videos on you tube

Emma said...

A baby boom! Would love to see that here. My Cordyline, only a few years olf 'fell'in half the DAY before my gardening buddies were coming by.Didn't have those wonderfull faces (I wasn't even scared!) Saw the same advice on GW & sawed it below some geranium - if it comes, it comes. MUST get my felting maching down off the shelf!

Jaqi said...

Lovely pictures of the garden Linda and that Hosta looks fab, I used to have loads of Hostas at my old house. Love youre new header it looks fab and the colours are beautiful, spk soon xx

Heloise said...

Lovely stitching. I can see faces in the tree trunk, I like looking for shapes in other things. The cork floor in my bathroom has so many different faces in it. Trees can come back to life even after a year I heard somewhere recently. Hope yours does.

Jill said...

Seemed to have missed sesveral of your posts - I am now cathcing up -love the stitching. The winter seems to have done for cordylines all over the place - reminders of the hard winter in this wonderful spring. I actually rather like the baby spiders - like little beads. Just think of all those garden pests they'll eat.

Catharina Maria said...

That are great photos Linda , you have make them at the good moment.
I have made a mosaic with a beautiful work of you.
big hug ♥RINI♥

Rosie said...

I'd pray over that Cordyline if it was me .... you never know, it might do a Lazarus for you, and it looked so fabulous last year its got to be worth a try?? I love your stitching, even if you are recycling "mistakes"!

Jackie said...

I love how all those teeny spiders were all huddled together with their bottoms outwards!
I'm glad you mentioned that lovely plant is allium related. They do really well in my garden. I must get one but will never remember the name.

Lynn said...

Loving what you created with your embelishing machine, and your garden looks lovely, great photographs. I also love the new look of your blog, sorry I haven't been around.

Judy S. said...

Interesting! I think your embellished piece has an exotic fish hiding in it. A lot of our plants took a beating this winter, including the hydrangeas. Lots of yardwork out there if it'd only get warmer.....

Lynette (NZ) said...

Have just re-discovered your blog - I LOVE your stitching...am especially inspired by your sari ribbon/slow cloth stitcheries - I am going to start one. I will visit you often - lovely blog :-)

~*~Patty S said...

Lovely to see your garden Linda...and what an interesting plant/tree!
Here is the states they do something called a spirit tree, but the branches are usually thinner...thin enough to pop a colorful glass bottle onto ... they look very decorative...some say junky hahaa!
Beauty if always in the eye of the beholder isn't it.
Wonderful stitching and photography as always...I am so behind in blogland...feeling scattered to the four winds getting Mom's estate settled and more.

Brightest of Blessings to you and yours
oxo

Gini said...

I had those spiders too, only ours were on the handle of the gate into the back garden so everytime I opened the gate I disturbed them, it was such a joyful experience, or it would have been if I was a Treecreeper or Wren.
As always your posts are a complete visual treat, 14 faces in the most marvelous tree bark :-)
Gini
xx

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