Feltings galore!

Happy Spring everyone!  With the seducing spring weather out there, I'm finding it really hard to stay working in my studio! 
It's too early still to directly plant in the ground, but I still go out to the garden and putter around; pull some weeds, nibble some mint, admire the flowers I planted, and wonder what on earth is this strange herb I planted last year...I thought it was supposed to be oregano, but it sure doesn't taste like it!  It's certainly growing very well, whatever it is!  I have planted some peas in succession, and realize that I should have also planted some lettuce already.

The times I do tie myself to my work table, (staring wistfully outside my window..) I have been hard at work playing with new ideas and making new pieces for upcoming shows and the galleries which have been patiently waiting for new works.  There is now a small batch of finished felted wall-hangings, and several more waiting for finishing touches. New sheep, horses, and even some dogs!  One of the pieces I have recently finished is a commissioned piece with a border collie beginning to herd three sheep.  Soon it will be time to take pictures of many of the new pieces to post on my site. 

I have also been able to continue volunteer work on the large clay fundraiser piece for the school.  It is really looking beautiful and has proven to be a lot of fun to participate in!  I will upload pictures in the future.

Lastly, it was recently my birthday, and my dear sweet family bought for me the most wonderful toy: a new sewing machine!!  Being new to me, this machine was made between 1989-1991, and is far more exciting and advanced than any I have ever owned before!  She's an Elna 9000 computerized embroidery machine, designed and made in Switzerland (the land of chocolate, cheese, knives, Ricola and apparently sewing machines!).  I thought of giving her a name, but Elna seems like a good one already... anyway, it does a few hundred stitches, and as much as I have already played with it since owning it, I have not been able to try them all yet!!  The face of this machine made me immediately think of the spaceship controls in sci-fi movies!  This is true excitement:)  I have also finally learned how to make yogurt, and can now make unsweetened non-dairy yogurt at home.  If I had known it was this easy, I would have been doing it forever before now.  I mention the yogurt because it is also exciting- though not as exciting as the sewing machine.