Paintbox travels

I was gifted this beautiful Winsor and Newton paintbox by my dear friend Annette, who always has hers when she travels. I am looking forward to the flexibility of this new art toy on my Chilean travels. Water brush packed, tick!

Wiss Emporium

The historic Wiss Emporium circa 1909 in Kalbar is worth a visit. The outside of the building is lovingly preserved and inside there are many items, handmade and antique to tempt visitors.

Kalbar is a little town on the way to Boonah and perfect for morning tea.

 

Amtrak

A new adventure for us travelling for the first time with Amtrak from historic Portland Station to Seattle, along the coastline. Unlike Italian rail stations, here there are enough seats for waiting travellers, a luggage check-in service and very civilised boarding without a mad rush.

We enjoyed the comfort of the 4 hour journey with some water view scenery along the way.

Our hotel is in the Belltown area and easy walking distance to the waterfront. We can hear sea gulls calling, when we open the window. Lots of fish available, fresh or cooked.

 

 

Getting ready

It has been busy here with 2 quilts to complete before I can go off for my next adventure with Bob. We have chosen the USA, Canada and Alaska for Wilderness and Wildlife with not an Italian cathedral in sight! Variety is the spice of life for us ad I hope I can keep you up to date via this blog and facebook also. I like to travel with a journal so got out the watercolour paints to add colours to the blank pages.

All the pages now have some colour and information about quilt shops I can visit is being added.

In Canada we will be spending a month in British Columbia.

The End- couldn't leave the back cover plain!

 

South Africa tour

Unfortunately Active Travel have had to cancel the planned Down Under Quilts South Africa Tour as the minimum number had not been reached and the time to hold accommodation bookings had run out.
If there is another tour I will be sure to let you know.

South Africa textile/quilt tour

Organised by Down Under Quilts and Active Travel, this is a fully escorted tour to South Africa to experience cultural initiatives, a game safari and the quilt show held biennially. Now that the Summer holiday season is almost over and school just around the corner, you might like to consider this small group tour as part of your travel plans this year. The full itinerary is in the Down Under Quilts #168 or online from Active Travel. I also have the tour button to the right hand side.

I'd love to travel with you on this adventure!

Down Under Quilts

I'm always very happy to see the latest issue of Down Under Quilts magazine when it arrives in my post box and number 167, the Christmas issue is out at newsagents this week. Of course being a columnist helps my excitement grow as the anticipation of how my Global Thread column, page 32, will look takes over.

And wow! The layout looks great with Bob's super shots and my photos bringing the text to life.

The added bonus this time was the full page advertisement for the South Africa Crafts and Quilt tour and Kate Oszko's Textiles and Culture of Turkey tour, appearing for the first time. We are both thrilled by the opportunity to share these diverse cultures with quilt and textile enthusiasts from around the globe, as you can join us 'in country' from anywhere in the world, not just Australia.

Thanks for all your lovely comments on my collagraph and printing efforts. I don't have a press, so used a brayer instead and was happy with the crispness of the result.

Tempting you

Today I want to tempt you to consider a couple of things. At the Queensland Quilt Show last week I spent a couple of days volunteering at the 2QAQ table explaining that the art quilt group is part of Queensland Quilters [2Q] and membership of 2Q has many benefits. The photo above shows the bookmarks promoting 2Q and they were part of the table display I set up.

So if you are new to quilting joining a group or guild is a good way to expand your knowledge and one of the biggest benefits is the friendships developed with like minded people.

Part of the display of the 2QAQ 2014 Calendar Challenge on the back wall. The other thing I want to tempt you with is travel and more specifically, travel on a Down Under Quilts fully escorted, small group [maximum 16] tour to South Africa ending with 4 days at the biennial South African Quilt Festival. We will also go on safari and visit many worthwhile projects making a difference to lives in this country. Full details available from the Active Travel button on my blog side bar.
And now the temptation of my new quilt is drawing me to the sewing machine!


 

Planning

We are planning out 2015 adventure to.... can you guess where? We like to travel independently for most of the time but will also be doing group activities such as train travel and a cruise along the coast from Vancouver to Alaska. Getting excited!