Update on owlies

owlies by crafty claudes

It has been a very busy last couple of weeks at owlie central.  I have been cutting out countless pattern pieces and then sewing on the trusty old Singer machine.   I am now ready to start sewing eyes and wings which is best done by hand.  This is one of my favourite parts as hand sewing is something that can be done anytime, anywhere.  This week I will be sewing during my lunch breaks at my day job.  If the weather co-operates It means I can sit at the local park enjoying the spring goodness in the air.  Although the progress on some days does seem a little slow, I am getting better at accepting that this is the process.  Today I wanted to share some of the lovely fabrics I have been using in my creations. Some are gifted (by some lovely and very generous friends) some I have found at the various thrift stores I have been visiting and others I have had for years in my fabric stash .   All are now coming out and being given their chance to shine and show off their pretty colours and patterns. These are going to be some very funky owlies indeed!

cotton and linen fabric - for crafty claudes owlies

No Dig Gardening

Last weekend Martino and I attended a fantastic 2 hour workshop entitled 'No Dig Gardening' run by The Watershed in Newtown. No dig gardening is a versatile method of growing food in an urban environment, particularly, in apartment balconies and pots. By growing food in small spaces, you can maximise the productive use of urban space, reduce food miles and grow organic and wholesome food. In the workshop we were taught to create a perfect composting environment by layering nitrogen (such as manure, comfrey) and carbon (such as dry leaves, sugar cane mulch, straw) in your container of choice (such as pots, buckets, wooden boxes, tin cans).   All things that are brand new and very exciting to me!

We both got to get our hands (or gardening gloves)  nice and dirty and create our own little take home container with our new plants. Mine is parsley and basil and Martino has lettuce and runner beans.

 They have now joined our current mini garden which consists of coriander, a rose and a cactus.

It really is great to see local councils running these workshops free of charge showing you what is possible, regardless of the size of your living space.  So check out what your local council is doing.

Date for your diary:: Ride - Life in the bike lane - 18 November

Art, bikes and felt  all in the one place?   Now this is our kind of show!   Martino loves all things bikes and as for me I get to check out some artists I have been reading about in different blogs.  This year is the 10th anniversary of the Sydney Bicycle Film Festival and the official exhibition is entitled ::  Ride - Life in the bike lane::.   The show consists of wooden bicycles individually customized by different Australian artists - both emerging and established.   I am really looking forward to seeing what artists Fleur Harris (below) and Cupco (right) do with their wooden bikes.

Check it out:

Thursday 18 November
6pm
District 01

74-76 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst