Each month I decide that I will start early on my blog and each month it comes down to the last few days and I have to move to reach my self imposed deadline. I don’t know why I am so opposed to putting words on paper after all there are only a few who read them (usually after I have suggested that they do!)

The month started with the groundhog deciding there was six more weeks of winter – living in Manitoba that’s not a bad thought as that means that spring will be early! The weather for the month has been much milder than usual and walking to get our mail was especially pleasant lately with the sun shining. The number of tracks in the snow has been growing daily as ground animals start venturing outside more often. The squirrels have been chasing each other up and down the trees, which probably means new babies within six weeks, and the rabbits seem to be being more adventurous – has the coyote moved on? I’ve also heard more birds lately and even the wind is starting to sound like spring. What is the saying “Spring springs eternal in the human breast” – I guess we will see what happens on Tuesday when we find out whether March will come in as a lion or a lamb.
Well I finished my Ekphrastic hanging though I have yet to pack it up and send it off – it MUST be done within the next couple of weeks as its due April 1st.

My orchid is definitely flowering again – the weird little bumps have formed into buds that hopefully will burst into bloom by the end of March. Amazing - not sure what I am doing but it seems to be right. Though a friend once told me that plants bloom just to make sure that they will propagate and if they keep blooming all year its because they fear they are going to die. Maybe I shouldn’t pat myself on the back just yet.

Have been working on my latest piece – definitely a change from my usual after doing all my sketching last month. I had decided to try experimenting with different ways to produce a hanging. I had taken a photograph of all the leaves on the ground last fall and after I had cropped it to the size I wanted it was played with in Adobe and a line drawing was produced. I then printed it on cream cotton and glued the pieces together with Pellon Easy-Knit tape.

Then I started playing. I am using Derwent pencil crayons and fabric scraps. Several years ago being fascinated with needle felting I bought myself a felting machine. I used it a few times but it is extremely noisy and so I haven’t really tested its abilities - though I have been collecting scraps from all my hangings, nothing is too small, because I have always intended to work more with it. Now I am using them for my leafy carpet.

I started by tipping out all the fabric pieces and then sorted them into more the kind of colour scheme I had in mind.

The main shapes will be in fabric and the multitude of tinier shapes will be painted with Inktense and Graphitint pencils. Once it is done I will be mounting it on a canvas so it can be hung like a painting.

I will say its taking me a long, long time as I’m not even half way yet, many small pieces, and I must confess I am easily distracted by books, jigsaw puzzles, computer games, walks, movies and the crazy antics of the election south of the border. But its getting there and as it grows I get more enthusiastic about it. Usually when I work on something I have my design, make my pattern and my pieces are cut to fit. Nothing is left to chance. I usually have a strong idea of what the finished piece will look like – this is much more iffy! We will see what I report at the end of March.