the serendipity of foraging in random forests …

When you go for a walk in a forest the first thing you probably notice is that there are a lot of trees.

As you walk a bit longer you might start to breathe in the smell of fresh or dry leaves, turned earth, of grass, of mushrooms.  Then you start to notice particular trees, they might be imperious; tall; short; teenage and sapling; arthritic and dying; proud; weedy or just plain misfits in the scheme of things.  You soon realise that the path you started to follow has long since disappeared.  You have been navigating by sensory instinct rather than compass.

I find the same thing happens when I have the time to go on a little web wandering …  I will often follow a link from a comment, which leads me to link upon link upon link until I find something that gets my solar plexus and I have to stop a while to catch my breath.

This is what happened when I discovered Leeds based designer-maker, Mr Finch. The first thing I read was this post back in November about a 19th Century Miner's canary, so I started to follow.







I’d been reading his blog in lurk mode for quite a while until he posted this about inspiration, and then I just had to de-lurk.

Then I saw these sleeping foxes and I fell hook line and sinker!




So I asked if he could make a smaller one - and look at this!



… trouble was, I’d already bought this beautiful moth from Mr Finch's Etsy store so it will have to wait until next month now …

they are so delicately made and look just fantastic on the wall …

Finch is making a lot of moths at the moment!

but he also makes wolves and moons and birds - these are his latest:

weeping trophy heads:

.... and he loves a bit of moss!





So, I urge you to go for a wonderful walk in the forest with Mr Finch. It can be a little dark and a bit frightening in fairy story kind of way, but it’s one of those blogs you want to start from the very beginning and read through to the present day … Enjoy!

If after that you want to buy a little something to mark the day, do visit his Etsy store …

all pictures (except the single moths) from Mr Finch's blog page

Simply Solids Accuquilt Go! Giveaway - NOW CLOSED

 


Isn’t it weird how things go in threes?

Last week I was jumping with joy because I’d finally found somewhere in the UK where I could get Kona Solids  - and a heap of other great stuff -   Simply Solids

Then, yesterday, I was looking at this great Urban Lattice Quilt-along and a fantastic giveaway (now closed but sponsored by Simply Solids!) over at Me? A Mom?’s blog, when a comment reminded me again just how hard it is for us UKers to find these fabrics without resorting to paying exorbitant prices on eBay or risking being stung by customs charges when buying internationally.  


Today I decided to go over and check out the shop again and landed over in the blog section, and what did I find? 


Another Accuquilt GO! giveaway - I can’t tell you how many of these little darlings I’ve entered … but hell, why not try again?  And especially as it all seems so interconnected, maybe I’ll be lucky this time ! 


If you want a chance, be quick - it closes 10am (UK time) tomorrow, Saturday 20th!