Awhile ago, I started a personal thread-painting project to decorate our house. I shared it on my personal Facebook page, to show people what I was up to, and people liked it a lot, so I thought, ok, I will show my Copper Catkin audience, too. 

I thought people would say something nice, as people often do, and then get on with their day - but people started approaching me and saying that they wanted to make their own, so I thought, ok, why not? 

Quite some time ago now, we launched our first and second waves of colour-cut-and-sew cushion projects. They were very popular, but as we haven't brought out new versions with the new designs, their popularity has ebbed, as you would expect, so we are refreshing the range for this year's gift-giving season.
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I decided to match up my most popular bird picture, my kereru, with one of my newest designs, kawakawa, for the first design.

I'll tell you a secret - I actually kind of hate kohuhu, aka pittisporum tenuifolium. But like a lot of things that I don't much like in and of themselves, I enjoy drawing it. 
If you look back at my portfolio, it seems to be filled with things that I don't really like - I am not much of a fan of eating fish or mushrooms, and bugs aren't really things I want to get too close to, but I really enjoy drawing them. 
Added to that, it's a native plant that is growing on our land, and it's not a predictable subject - and I haven't drawn it yet. We also have akiraho (​Olearia paniculata), so I have included leaves from both in the design. I have not included their distinguishing flowers in this design, as neither had bloomed when I took my original working photos. I took these photos today to show the difference - and I may make a second version, with the trees flowering.

It was actually very pleasant to draw, and the design came together nicely from its parts. I felt that it quickly made a cohesive design repeat.
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The idea of adding a pōhutukawa design to my portfolio is not a new one, but it is really difficult to align their kahika (flowers) with my drawing style - by the time I have drawn AROUND every filament, the flower will be more black line than flower. The alternative, stylising the flower outline and only picking out the anthers, just makes it look like a dandelion. Ugh. Annoying.

I decided to break from tradition and draw the kahika in red, and it seemed to work... So after a quick mock-up, I used the trees that I had already created for my kōwhai design (with the pōhutukawa in mind, of course), and dressed them to fit the pōhutukawa structure.

I initially started sketching kōwhai flowers and leaves for my personal embroidery project - which I am also developing for sale, after so much positive feedback - but I have also had a fabric design knocking at the back of my mind for a while. Of course, I wanted to finish this project first, but sometimes, you just have to let the stronger inspiration take over.

It's been AGES since I have had time to design some new stuff, and I have been jonesing for some creative time. 
Our major renovations finally finished a couple of weeks ago, so we finally have our house back. We are gradually sorting through all our possessions, decluttering, and putting finishing touches on the house, but the sudden lack of pressure is huge, so I have filled the gap with a whole lot of Copper Catkin tasks - new designs, updating the blog (hi!), getting our stock online as we aren't doing markets anymore, and doing a massive craft and market supply destash. We started last weekend, with Fabric-a-brac in Palmerston North, which was awesome. 

One of our big remaining tasks for the house is the garden, and as we make small inroads, I have been taking photos in the hope that I would have some time soon to draw them.. and now, I have the time! So, first of all, let's look at the herbs (from our garden) that I have drawn.