Bees. 19 days

Say hello to our new little friends.




The bee compound.  We have many bears in the area, so it is necessary to build enclosures that are surrounded by electric fencing.  We were actually visited by a bear last night, who climbed a small stand of birch trees to claim his prize of a small basket of suet.  We really wish we had seen the bear up in the birch trees...he broke many branches, and there are scratch marks all over the trees.  Luckily, our fencing has kept them at bay so far.



Preparing the smoker.



We have two hives.  This is the activity after nineteen days.  We "installed" the bees on April 7, and they are already filling up four or five of the frames in our ten frame supers.



Everything is looking good so far.  We did not spot the queen during this inspection, but she is obviously busy producing many eggs.  We could see the larva in some cells.  Most of the cells have been capped off already.  The newly "hatching" bees will chew their way out of each cell.  They take about three weeks to become adults.




Bees working on brood cells (above).  They seem so docile and calm.  We've learned that we must always use the smoker when we interact with the bees.  The first time there was an accidental stinging because everyone got so upset.  It's also important to wear the proper protection, especially over your face, so that you can remain calm and relaxed while working with the bees.  They are truly amazing and kind of scary too.







Above.  I'm watching you!





Bees in 2nd hive.  Scenting.




I was hoping that our bird bath, which is about 75 yards away from the hives, would become a watering station for the bees.  We have a brook which is close by, but I hoped they wouldn't have to work so hard to find water.  And sure enough.....today  (see below)




Pretty soon....two



Frida became very interested.  Suddenly her whiskers appeared in the frame as I was watching the bees through the camera.

 

One bee flies away ........



and then.......

Kimono Quilts

Bags on SALE! 40% off

I'm discontinuing this bag style...after careful critique I've decided to redesign the project bags. The inspiration for these came from the old style newspaper boy/girl bags with the thick straps and deep pocket (oh, and not to mention my need for project bags to contain all of my various knitting endeavors around the house).

You can see all the bags that are being discontinued in this section in my shop.

24 degrees ~ from my back yard

BTaylor Quilts Video

My video, created by Jeff Derose of One Match Films. I asked him to create a short film about my creative work, which includes quilting and painting. It was especially important to me at this time, because I had been preparing for an exhibit at the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts here in Massachusetts, and wanted to document that. At the same time, I had recently resigned from my job as Coordinator of Easthampton City Arts and was embarking on a new adventure...self employment, focusing soley on my painting and sewing.

It felt like the right time to make the video, with all these important events converging, and it became apparent that it was a good way to get the word out about what I am doing. Making the video has been such a great experience and I discovered things about myself and my work that I hadn't even expected. After recording several interviews, Jeff took all the raw footage, my voice, and stills that he had taken, and wove the narrative and images to create this story. I would have had no idea how to put this together, and I'm so happy with the results. This is why we hire the professionals!

Sewing Room Tip #1 - managing new fabrics

I've made a resolution to reorganize the shop so that I use the space better. Like most, I have a limited amount of space and like to have all of my fabrics within site, so that I can quickly see all the possibilities while I'm working. Normally, when I get new fabrics, I wash them, fold them up, and organize them by color on a series of bookshelves. Lately, I've been looking at the piles of fabrics and wondering how to condense them so that I have more space. The answer, scarily enough, is ironing all this fabric!!

Believe me, I was not really keen on ironing everything, so I did a test to see if all the effort would pay off. While cutting out turquoise fabrics for another ocean themed quilt, I ironed each piece of fabric as I went along and then carefully stored them back on the shelf. I buy a lot of fabrics two yards at a time, but I do have a lot of fabrics that I've purchased the whole bolt....this takes up LOTS of room. After going through the turquoises, what was once three shelves of fabric now took up only one and a half shelves! Yay! It really worked!

For example, here is a photo of my green fabrics, you can see how much space it takes up, and how messy it is.


Now, here is a photo of the turquoise...all ironed and beautiful! I'm hooked :)
And so the lesson here is: time saved by not ironing = loss of much needed space in the workroom. I haven't gotten through my entire fabric collection, but I'm working on it :)

Early Morning, New Year's Day

A walk in the woods in our corner of the world. Happy New Year.