Time for an Update

I wanted to take a couple of photos of what has been waiting for me at work over the last 2+ weeks, unfortunately the battery was 'depleted'. Never mind - it has been over-whelming, but the end is in sight!
Here are some before (weeding) and after photos:

partial view of adult non-fiction

I hated shelving in the middle of this aisle - it was the cookery book section - 2+ bays cramped full!

half of the children non-fiction

This was another area I hated shelving and checking - far too full, plus lots of old irrelevant stock.

children's picture books, plus junior fiction

Another area where lots of good books were not taken out because you couldn't find anything easily.

junior fiction area

Here are the same shelves now that the weeding is completed!

partial view of the adult non-fiction

WooHoo! from 2+ bays of cookery to THREE (3) shelves! No more fighting to find a book, or trying to shelve them - AND I can see if they are out of order soooo much easier!

children non-fiction

Much more relevant and easier to find books :)

picture books

Now that there is space at the end of the shelves, I can display the front of books. I have also re-arranged another display area and find that without so many books on it (currently I choose an author on one side, and on the other have new books) I am having to restock every day - oh! joy! The books are being used!

was the junior fiction

The shelves along this wall had a mix of junior/teen fiction (from A - H). My trusty volunteer and I have made it just for teens - like from 11 years and onwards. The junior fiction takes up the rest of the shelving in this area.
I think that in total, after the weeding, the shelf space has been reduced by more than 50 shelves.
By the end of the week I will have numbers of the books deleted from the catalogue.
My sincere thanks to Anthony Lewis, Palmerston North City Librarian, Hayley Parsons, a very hard-working volunteer who has been in every day for almost 3 weeks, and Marjorie Dawson, who is a friend and library colleague, who has come out to assist many times over the last 2 weeks.
Without their help, it would have taken me AT LEAST 12 months to do the weeding.
I tell you, I'm pretty tired at the end of the day and haven't been very creative, but this library is going to be fantastic!

For You

... because you are very special!

There Are Some Gardeners Working ...

... at my workplace!
We have been weeding and pruning and the end result will be so much better.
Here's what it looked like the other day:

But I have managed to delete this pile of books on the cupboard (and more) from the catalogue:

I have had three wonderful volunteers, helping with taking old (and unused for several years) books off the shelves and someone helping me take each item off the catalogue. We estimate that the weed hasn't been done for at least 10 years!
People will soon be able to find relevant and up-to-date books on the shelves.
As the work progresses I'll be able to keep you posted.
This is why I've been uncreative this month.

The Last S.I.X. Challenge Completed

Oh yes! Over a week later than planned, but done!

Here we are:

 I cut the original block then inserted the block with the newspaper headings, which was also cut and splattered with red paint.
I really wanted to print PEACE on the ribbon, but my glue stick is drying out, so I painted the word instead.
Anyway, there are lots of subliminal messages in this quiltlet - including the quilting in the teal/batik strip.
I am so pleased to have finished these challenges. I can get on to something else now :)

New Thread Candy

I had heard that one of the curtain places in town was having a sale prior to shifting. Not that I need any more fabric, but there might have been something on the roll suitable for decorating a venue for an upcoming wedding!
Well there wasn't anything suitable for the wedding, but I did spy a basket of threads for $1.00! So here is a little selection of Gutermann thread I bought today:

One can never have too much quality thread for quilting!

My apologies for not doing much creative stuff so far this month - just rather tired with work (now that I'm sole charge on reduced hours with the work of 2.5 people to do in that time) and I think a bit of hay-fever which is affecting my eyes.
I hope to get into the creative stuff soon, as there is soooo much to do!

A Visitor to the Garden

We have had a kingfisher around the garden the last two weeks - I've heard him and seen him occasionally but tonight he was 'hanging' around close to the house and I managed to get some photos of him.
This one shows up the colours on his back:

That teal is a quick vibrant, flash of colour as he flies away.

S.I.X Play Day

Today was to be our unveiling of our challenges. I have taken photos of the ones finished but decided not to publish them until they are all finished. In the end I didn't get my own finished in time, but now I have another idea for the original and headline fabric.
Instead, we had a play day where we tried some dyeing with indigo.
I bought some 'balls' of compressed indigo in Dubai a few years ago and just recently had watched a DVD about dyeing using natural sustainable methods - right up my alley - it's no fun using dyes, mordants and additives where you have to wear a mask, and surely it can't be good for the environment!
Unfortunately the recipe called for crushed burnt oyster shell. I didn't know how to manage that and wondered if hydrated lime would be OK.
Here's the dye pot:

well that colour didn't quite look right (it's supposed to be greeny yellow)!
So Dianne and Rhonda got busy crushing some oyster shells (precious sweat on a warm day):

This is the resultant dye bath (looking much better):

While we waited for the dye bath to hydrate and react we were busy preparing our fabric:

over-dyeing with folding and 'tying'

plaiting

shibori over a plastic pipe

shibori over a bottle

selection of folded, tied and stitched for shibori

first dye bath

fabric from the first dye bath - 5 minutes saturation, now oxidising

Rhonda's over-dyed folded piece

one of Dianne's shibori pieces

As I used my stockpot, we figured that the opening was too wide and probably allowed too much oxidation to occur. The second dye-bath was not very successful and apparently if oxidation has occurred there can be a 90% loss of dye, but I have left some fabric in it and will re-add the dyed pieces in a couple of days.
Otherwise, I will visiting the local Indian grocery to see if I can purchase a narrow, tall, stainless steel pot!
I will also have to figure out a way of crushing the oyster shell. I'm thinking that baking it first (at what temp. I have no idea!) will help to make it more brittle and easier to crush.
I admit that I was little disappointed with the results from the dyeing, but it's all about learning and we all had a great day together!