Back To The Blog!

The last couple of years have been really hard haven't they? 

One of the ways I've coped is by creating an imaginary village, the edge of which blurs into an Enchanted Forest and magical kingdom beyond. If you follow me over on Instagram or Facebook you'll know that my imaginary village is called Wits End and that in the village and its environs, anything is possible. 

I find much inspiration in quietly thinking about all the people, creatures and otherworld folk who call the village, forest and mountains home. There are so many stories to tell. The lives of all who live in these places are connected and intertwined in surprising ways just as they often are in real life.  

Instagram has also been another way to connect with people but I'm one of those people who find themselves increasingly frustrated with all the changes there.  It isn't the space it once was and it seems harder to interact with my community there,  I miss the inspiration I used to find in my feed and the still photos posted by makers and artists. Now Instagram is pushing me hard to create short video content and making it less likely that my lovely followers will see the traditional photos I prefer. I love photography. When I post a photo, "how to" or Wits End story, I've spent time thinking about it, editing it and trying to make it as lovely as possible in the hope that it will bring joy so it's incredibly frustrating to know that it probably won't make it into the feeds of those who have chosen to follow me.   

In light of this, I've decided to dust off this blog and post here more regularly, there will be lots of photos and thoughts and I'd love you to join in by commenting below. I've found myself visiting and reading blogs again just like I used to before I really found my Instagram community.  It surely can't be just me.

So, what am I currently working on?  Well, I'm going to be a vendor at the annual Pumpkin Patch Quilt show in Los Banos, California September 10th and 11th, so I'm working flat out for that!  

I'm focusing on fairy home themed pincushions and I hope to add some more seasonal ones in too. Today I'm stitching some Decidedly Deadly black mushroom fairy houses.  Not everyone or everything in my Enchanted Forest is friendly.   I'm really enjoying working with these colors and playing with the different shades of purple for the leaves.  

As always I'm using 100% wool felt and DMC thread including some lovely variegated purple/navy/black thread for the hanging vines in the background. I'll be finishing these pincushions up over the weekend.  It's still really hot here so stitching is a good way to spend my day!