learning to sing

I sing in choir. Practically my whole life.

It's brought me the most amazingly beautiful, exhilarating, challenging, fun experiences. Met a Best Friend and a Husband. Fortunately I still have the Best Friend.

I love it, and with all this practice and education along the way, I've become a reasonably good singer. It means so much to me that I know I need to improve to keep up up with the rising standard of my current group, Auckland Choral

And therein lies the flaw. I've never had a formal lesson from a singing teacher and I'm terrified to start. All these years I've been hiding in the crowd, gotta have 2 more people or I can't let a sound out.

Why?

• fear that I've never been any good - this is nonsense! all those successful auditions over the years...
• fear of constructive criticism - might have to work a bit, too bad
• fear that it can't get any better - surely must be able to squeeze a few more degrees of beauty
• fear of change... my old dragon, many times slain and reincarnated

so! tonight I'm going to commit to lessons with Ken Cornish, a singer I greatly admire, and see if I can Get Over It

wearing my art on my sleeve

I made this cuff a couple of years ago at a fun sewing weekend with 2 dear friends.  We each taught a technique.  Portraits & weaving will come here sometime.

This begins with a heavy Pellon foundation covered with velvet, then interesting scraps, ribbons & braids machined down with programmed and free stitches. Cut to shape, decorate the edges, button/beads, loops to close and it's ready to wear.

It's the only piece of my work I wear - and it comes to work sometimes as a Wonderwoman deflector bracelet.  Definitely worked today!

as promised, a photograph

... of Boxing the Moon, layered and pinned, ready for quilting. Also a sneaky self-portrait thanks to the sunshine.

It had to happen sometime...

Knitting!  sneaked up and caught me. Under the guise of finding a right-sized response to babies.  See below for the Last Baby quilt

So far:
2 cowl scarves (for me)
1 buttoned scarf (for dear Mother-in-Law)
1 pair of socks (for dear girlfriend)
...1 pair of booties for an actual baby

and an unspecified number of new balls of yarn and needles. That list is completed projects, mind you.

There is also the lure of Ravelry which I joined two years ago, suckered in by the chatter from my knitting mates. If there is anything as cool for quilters, I have not found it yet. So my stuff is there

Honestly, it's only on the bus, I wouldn't knit in actual quilting time. honest.