Tui Hoodie January 2007

This is what design school called a palimpsest: a Hallenstein's hoodie appliquéd with a tui, sucking nectar out of a kowhai. There are so many of them swooping around our property; I thought it would be nice if Jonathan could wear one to work.

My shirt-waster January 2007

Shirt-wasters inhabited the pattern books of my childhood, only to be struck out moments before they came back into fashion. I got this discontinued one for 50 cents. The woman at Spotlight had od'd on her prozac and tried to charge me $80 for the fabric, but I pointed out it was $16. Add the buttons bought from an old queen who ruled a vintage fabric store, and the dress came to $17.50.

New hat January 2007

I used the remnants to line my new hat. Pity I didn't make it a size too small: an easy fit flies off in Wellington's nor'westerlies. Maybe I need a bonnet?

Pohutukawa card January 2006

Since it's the coldest summer since 1923, the pohutukawas that were due to flower mid-December are just emerging early Jan. Still, it's New Zealand's symbol of the festive season, so I thought I would do a stitched version for Christmas cards.

Formal box garden January 2007

Most of my garden is a crazy mess of flaxes and foxgloves, hebes and hydrangeas, all growing on top of each other. But recently we made two boxes out of railway sleepers, where everything will be tamed. The sleepers still have the train track indentations in them, and they are steeped in axle grease. I have planted two bay trees, which I intend to groom Edward Scissorhand-style.