Project Updates in Stitching and Art

As of mid-April I finished all the goldfinch squares for my massive bird quilt:

I started on the Eastern Bluebirds, and thanks to my neighborhood monthly craft night I finished one and am on to bluebird #2.  

Quick medical inset: Picking up embroidery again seemed to inflame the base thumb joint of my left hand, which prompted a few doctor visits.  The end result: I'm not giving up my hobbies, I have guards to wear and a cream to use when my joints get cranky, and I have adjustments to make in my art hobbies so that I can keep making art.  I'll probably mention "cranky joints" now and again, this is what is references.

I had hoped to make great headway on this project during the textile retreat that had been scheduled for last weekend just outside of Portland.  Unfortunately, the retreat had to be cancelled due to lack of participation, however they hope to try again next year with better advertising.  Since I already had other visits and travel plans lined up, I packed up my gear (3 bags of project-related items, one small duffel with a change of clothes) and hit the road anyway.

First stop was to visit with a camera builder in Portland for a tour of his woodshop and a peek at the prototype of what will eventually be my birthday present.

After a stop in the city for lunch, my next adventure brought me to my friend, and fellow textile-retreat-refund-receiver, H's house, for a little bit of art supply shopping and wonderful personal art retreat time.

Lately she has been making some lovely art using block carvings.  I happened to have lino blocks in the garage (which have been lying around since 1999) so I brought them down with me and came up with this zentangle carving.

As I carved the negative space in the upper left corner, I realized my hands would be unusable if I continued in that endeavor, and so I switched to carving the positive space for the other 3/4 of the block.  I think it has an emerging quality...

After our carving and printmaking session, we stopped at another art store where H showed me the "soft blocks" she prefers to carve (which feel more like a semi-soft cheese).  The blocks were on sale, and I received a refund from the textile retreat, so I bought a stack.

Because I need another hobby, right?

(FWIW, I already have the carving tools and a brayer, so I really didn't buy an entirely *new* hobby, this is a resupply of materials that I can work with more easily)