(above: Sampling of 'embroidery from the natural world' stitched by me; Felicia's hand-quilting; barn embroidery by Elizabeth Barnett.) I'm very excited to tell you about Slow Stitching in the Barn, a new Craft Sessions retreat to be held in March next year. The traditional September Craft Sessions retreat sells out so quickly each year that…

I hope you've had a lovely long weekend if you are a fellow New Zealander. It's Labour Weekend here – the official time to celebrate the advent of the eight-hour working day and to plant tomatoes and other summer crops. I've been mostly doing the above, as well as spending time with some friends and…

Hello and happy October! Hope this finds you well, lovely reader. I'm knitting some socks for Tom. They make a good project to carry around and sneak a few rows on every now and then (such as in my lunch break at work and on the bus). But they are taking a really long time! I'm…

I haven't finished much in the craft department lately, except a collection of little gifts to post off to friends having new babies. I think that my friends and wider family are keeping the population of New Zealand healthy these days, haha. Making baby gifts is a good way to get a craft fix, don't you…

I've found it difficult to make my way here, lately, for a number of reasons (work and school holidays being the primary ones). But today I've managed to find some time to share this beautiful glossy red ranunculus, a gift from a friend.  I do love the design aesthetic of these spring flowers, the way…

I got some new postcards printed with photos taken recently – some have embroidery and others a sprig of late-summer flowers on them. I like to keep my stock of cards up, as they're very useful to have on hand for impromptu gift-giving and the like. I also enjoy wrapping them up with my etsy…