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Ruth McMonagle

@ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social
951 followers 562 following 1.8K posts

Textile artist. Nature lover. Saving the planet, one stitch at a time. She/her. Aotearoa New Zealand #art #textile #fabric #recycle #reuse #quilt #sew #stitch #craft #thread #climate #MTB #travel #adventure Lover, mother, friend. ruthmcmonagle.net

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Reposted by Ruth McMonagle
Origami box artist @origami-boxes.bsky.social · 13h
Astrofireworks! #origami #box #handmade #design #tomokofuse #art #paperart #eastcoastkin #artyear #bskyart #astroart #stunday #galaxy #astronomy #stars
Octagon origami box made with paper with a galaxy and stars, and a turquoise backside side. At the centre is a turquoise star surrounded with bright stripes. Around it are four turquoise spikes and four galactic nuclei.
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Josh | writer, painter, tinkerer @tworuru.com · 09/10/2026
if, like me, you get a daily jumpscare upon logging in and seeing the Absolute State of Things and you want a break from it all, might I suggest signing up for the no-AI offline-first drawing course that I am building mostly in public www.arti.ly
arti.ly
Artily: A better way to learn to draw.
Artily is a learn-to-draw system for parents, teachers, and children, based on what works: cutting-edge science and ancient methods from the atelier. Sign up to be notified when Artily officially laun...
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Reposted by Ruth McMonagle
The Sewphist @thesewphist.bsky.social · 20h
Pour donner un sens d’échelle, on peut dire que c’est 2 re mi-cerf à la ‘tite … (Malheureusement je ne trouve pas le bon mot «  to bring it back to Doe… »)
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Kelsy - formerly Faiako @kelsy.co.nz · 10/10/2026
Today we sat down with Ngaire, Lefty and the nine babies (all named Des) for half an hour. I got these 3 minutes of true pūtangitangi whānau ASMR - one clip is muted sorry because you really don't deserve to be subjected to the AI Parkrun songs. But otherwise lots of lovely Ngaire clucks #nzbirds
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
That is a great idea. I still need to work out what to do with my studs. Also, that is a wonderful quilt😄 and glad it is being used often.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
One of the local tui has mastered the sound of a truck backing. Always have to look for the mystery truck up in the tree.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Help. Those of you that have lots of earrings, how do you store them? I am looking for something that I can see all the earrings, and they don't get mixed up. My earring collection has grown over the years. I think a santa made one / found one for a giftee a while back. #SecretSantaAoNZ #jewellery
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Over the month of November, every single hoiho chick known to hatch on the mainland will come through these hospital doors. "There’s fewer than 140 breeding pairs on the mainland... if we left their chicks in the nest, between 60 -70 % of them would die.” #penguin #nzl #nature #survive 🇳🇿🐧
nzgeo.com
Intensive care
Hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguins, on mainland Aotearoa are tipping towards extinction. This breeding season began with a bold, and desperate, call: take every chick off the nest and straight to hospital...
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Local candidate Labour Party green
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Reposted by Ruth McMonagle
Origami box artist @origami-boxes.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Another black with pink #orchids pentagon #origami box. Zoom in to see the pink #butterflies. #art #paperart #tomokofuse #natureart #flowerart #eastcoastkin #artyear #bskyart #modularorigami #handmade
Pentagon origami box made with black paper with pink orchids and butterflies and a black backside colour. The flowers are concentrated in  a smaller pentagon with a different angle.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Started this on the plane. Lost pianos of Siberia, by Sophy Roberts. Fascinating, and I am learning so much Russian history. 📚🇳🇿
Cover of the book, Lost pianos of Siberia, by Sophy Roberts.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
View of the top of Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe on my flight back to Rotos. Crater lakes and cones. Always enjoy looking out the window, and seeing the landscape from a different perspective. 🌋 #travel #adventure #mountain #nzl 🇳🇿
A grey Crater lake at the top of Mt Ruapehu.  Snow covers the rest of the mountain. A bright blue lake amongst the grey. This is a lake between Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe. The grey cliffs surrounding the lake look steep.A cone shaped Mt Ngauruhoe with it's crater visible.  A splash of snow is on the left side of the mountain, and creates a star like contrast against the grey landscape in the background.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Big hugs.
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Reposted by Ruth McMonagle
Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
From NASA 📍Gale Crater, Aug. 11, 2026, 8:30 a.m. local Mars time. The Curiosity rover captures the Sun rising on crags known as yardangs, a scene that scientists have long been waiting to see up close.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I wasn't driving, so enjoyed the chocolately vanilla flavours.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
While I was adventuring, my urchin got me this stout to try. Love the art work. Wonderful vanilla finish #nzl #beeroclock 🇳🇿🍻
A black can of beer, featuring cookie monster being ridden on by kermit the frog. (stylised), with a cookie as bait. Cookie monster has his eyes on the cookie.  The brand is Nom Nom by Double Vision, and the flavour is Cookes & Cream White Stout 10.1% ABV.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Kinda like a giant mellopuff, but the base is more waferlike not biscutty.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I ate so many of these, I loved them.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I worked on a theme a week, for several months, and used the different skills around that theme. That way, if I got bored with an area, I could switch and learn something new. At the end of the week I had something tangible to look back on, review / critique. Next theme week, expand on the learning.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Back home after a week away on adverture. Nice to sit on the deck, in the sun, watching 7!!! tui in the kowhai. #nzl 🇳🇿
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
It's not really a tourist town, I was the only foreigner, and there weren't many people about when I visited during the week. The street food was fab, and I spent time watching them make rice crackers traditionally over hot coals, and they tasted superb.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Also recommend Manekineko temple, so many white cats. This dragon temple Shibamata Taishakuten Temple is my favourite and after 11 am, the street leading to the temple is an "eat street". I had to take a couple of trains to get there, stunning!!!! en.japantravel.com/tokyo/the-wo...
en.japantravel.com
The Wood Carvings of Taishakuten - Tokyo - Japan Travel
Shibamata Taishakuten Temple is home to an incredible series of wood carvings. Depicting the teachings of the Buddha, the carvings were created in the 20th century and are protected by a glass wall ad...
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Congratulations. So awesome for you!
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
As always, I have pencilled in time for creating something. I hope there is #SecretSantaAoNZ this year.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Thanks Fiona. I was so stunned to receive the award, took a while for it to sink in.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Thanks, this one grew from itself, and I just built it around with what I had. This was a very organic creation.
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Reposted by Ruth McMonagle
HiRISE Beautiful Mars (NASA) @uahirise.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
HiPOD: Offworld Cool This stunning dune field, almost 5 km (3 mi) across in the grayscale cutout, is located at the bottom of an unnamed impact crater. The dark spots are the result of sublimation of subsurface ice. uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_077332_2420 NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
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Anna Merlan @annamerlan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The sea urchin dye makes this amazing array of colors -- pink, lavender, a really deep rose-- and harvesting urchins stops them from strangling kelp forests and helps oceans start to recover. It's just so incredible that she figured out how to do this.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Thanks, www.eventfinda.co.nz/2026/threads...
eventfinda.co.nz
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This was an unexpected adventure. I won a major award tonight at the National Quilting Symposium in Aotearoa New Zealand. "Melancholy of Mourning" won the Award of Excellence. So here's a picture, and currently it's on show at the Threads of our Time exhibtion in Otautahi, Christchurch.
A textile art work of multi colours with small pieces of fabric contrasting and adding light and texture.  #quilt #art #textile #reuse #recycle Detail of the textile art work featuring assorted orange fabrics with turquoise, green and yellow accents.  The stitching is horizontal waves.Detail of the artwork focussing on the the purples and pink colours, with small contrast pieces of orange, green and blue.  The stitching is in vertical waves.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Great views from the flight today. I always enjoy seeing my town from a different perspective. Always the land of the long white cloud. The mountains poked through, and even saw Taranaki in the distance. #travel #nzl #adventure 🇳🇿
Aerial view of Lake Rotorua, Mokioa Island, and the township of Rotorua.  In the foreground on the right, is the geothermal area known as Hell's Gate. Fortunately we couldn't smell it!  White fluffy clouds surround the hills and go to the horizonLand of the long white cloud lives up to it's name. Fluffly clouds for as far as I could see.Poking out of the clouds are Mt Ruapehu, Mt Ngaruhoe, Mt Tongariro, and in the far distance Mt Taranaki.  All have white dusting of snow on their peaks.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Perfect day for travelling. New adventures await. 🇳🇿
Mokoia island as the background of the Rotorua airport runway. The lake is still .The blue sky has assorted shaped clouds, and I am off for an adventure on a different island.
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🦝 Pepper Raccoon: Trash Priestess 🦝 @pepperraccoon.com · 29/09/2026
🤘 KICK IT 🤘 The Bird of the Year is the Black Robin/Karure, coming in like a tiny wrecking ball to smash the competition. Thread Project premium screenprinted tees in unisex and fitted sizes S-5XL. Pre-order this tee NOW: pepperraccoon.com #birds #boty #kikorangi
A detailed dark fantasy style illustration of a black robin on a branch, holding a tiny spiked mace. The words Black Robin are in high stylised handlettered text, and the border features Chatham Island forget-me-nots.A flatlay of green t-shirts, featuring a detailed dark fantasy style illustration of a black robin on a branch, holding a tiny spiked mace. The words Black Robin are in high stylised handlettered text, and the border features Chatham Island forget-me-nots.
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Origami box artist @origami-boxes.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
#origami box 3/4 with #leaves. Zoom in for the details of veins. #art #paperart #natureart #tomokofuse #abstractia #artchallenge #eck #eastcoastkin
Square origami box made with paper with green leaves with visible fine veins and a light green backside.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Well done you! Survival is hard. I made the most of the time change, and went for a walk in the sunshine after work.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
5/15. Yuck, yuck, yuck. I would not eat. I was thinking the other day, we haven't seen a Nick's quiz.😀. Missed the options to choose something else.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
No cummerbund or waistcoat. Does their tailor hate them, ... those trouser lengths. The teenage boys at their high school ball have better fitting garments. @dieworkwear.bsky.social Key looks like he is about to explode that jacket. #nzpol
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Origami box artist @origami-boxes.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Octagon #origami box for #coloraday #orangesun with purple accents for #stunday. The model has one star at the centre, the paper choice makes it a double star. #tomokofuse #paperart #art #eastcoastkin
Octagon origami box, orange with a purple star at the centre and purple/orange/yellow rays.
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葉いろ @hairo-iroha.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
#地衣類 #lichen #fungifriends
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I like breakfast cake.
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Jonathan @alien2660.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is the Stolen Neighbors Quilt. Each of the 11,000 squares represents a person taken by ICE in Minnesota. And Minnesota is just 1 of 50 states. The US should not be an autocracy, an oligarchy, or a kleptocracy, but Drumpf has transformed it into all 3.
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Reposted by Ruth McMonagle
Ian B @bunhead63.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This one needs to pay more attention in camouflage classes 😆 Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 earlier this week. #fungifriends #nature #fungi
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Fungi First @fungifirst.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
These shaggy manes are basically showing off at this point. Look at those caps autodigest 👀🤩! #Mushrooms #FungiFriends
Shaggy mane mushrooms get their name from their loose scaly cap surface. Pictured are three caps up close with the outside edges turning liquidy black (hence the name inky caps broadly given to these fungi) from self digestion.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Go for it!
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Amy @littlestbee.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Good morning! Thespuders are weaving their webs everywhere. ##photography
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Yaroslava @strategywoman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I am reading about the damage caused by russian attacks in Kyiv last night. Maternity hospital, warehouse, cars, houses… Two people killed. It’s raining. I had two cups of warcoffee. The drone threat has lasted more than 7 hours. I don’t know what has lasted longer: the rain or the drones.
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Bart⚓️ @bartgonnissen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Facial Expressions of Tethys by artist Julius von Bismarck. A suspended high-sea buoy that moves in real time. Sensors on a twin buoy out in the Atlantic Ocean send live satellite data to motors inside the museum. This makes the indoor buoy copy the exact, real-time movements of the ocean waves.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I keep smiling at it. Wish I had done this years ago.
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Ruth McMonagle @ruthmcmonagle.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This month's challenge was Blue and Shadey. My design was influenced by pancake ice, that I encountered in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Next month's challenge is yellow and nature. #art #fabric #reuse #recycle #quilt #sew 🇳🇿🪡🧵🧶
Rough pale blue fabric curved shapes with dark indigo shadowing around the edges.  The shapes collide with each other, and have a bit of room around the edges.Detail of the oval shape, small speckles of glitter sparkle in the light, reminding me of the frozen Ross Sea, in Antarctica.
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paulinabarry.bsky.social @paulinabarry.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
On the other side of the velvet worm cup I painted werewere-kōkako (Entoloma hochstetteri). I have yet to see one in person, but I still have my mushroom eyes on. #bluemushroom #mushroom #fungus #mushroomart #sciart #newzealand #aotearoa
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