New bag #2

I like to have a flat base on my tote bag & inserted the pink fabric for the base & also so that I could rotate the skull fabric to have the skulls all facing in the same orientation.

New bag

I had this great fabric, printed with skulls, leftover from the 'Fiesta de los Muertos' quilt, so decided to make a new tote bag for all the bits & pieces needed at meetings. The Bernina machine programmed embroidery stitches, in bright rayon & multi-coloured cotton threads, have had a workout.

The handles are black fabric with a thin strip of wadding for softness & lots of the programmed stitches.

Art squares

Yesterday I got my Indian wood blocks, oil paint sticks & cotton fabric. The weather was perfect, not too hot for working outdoors on my wet studio area table, which is undercover. While I rubbed with glorious colours I thought about my Indian journey in January with Textile Traditions & the wonderful wood blocked textiles we'd be seeing & bringing home as souvenirs.

These 10" 'art squares' will be for sale at the Remarkable Symposium in Queenstown, New Zealand April 19-23.

Arty beads

These fabulous textile based beads were made by Mereana Bambridge, a member of the SmArtArts group who set up a wonderful display at 2QAQ of  the many projects & challenges the group have worked on. It was a great meeting with inspiration, laughter & sharing of ideas, techniques & stories.

Food for artists

Congratulations to all the selected artists in STATE of the ART quilt 11 exhibition. Some that I know of are Mel, Jan, Linda & Ali. We will probably hear of the exhibition at today's 2QAQ meeting.

We are often told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I love a hearty breakfast occasionally & this one was delicious with smoked salmon, poached eggs, mushrooms & spinach. Thanks La Linea, Shop 1 /200 Old Cleveland Rd Coorparoo, for the feast.

STATE of the ART quilt 11

Very excited here, when I heard both my entries in STATE of the ART quilt 11 had been selected by juror Barbara Macey, 2010 Rajah Award recipient, for the touring exhibition. Barbara is also the founder of Ozquilt Network, an Australian orgainsation for art quilters. The exhibition will premier at the Textile Art Festival in Brisbane, June 10-12. Above, a detail of 'Circles of my Mind'. I'll show the full image when the festival begins. 

Detail of 'On Track #1'.

Mini pears

These cute mini pears were at Mango Mango, my local fruit shop recently. Crunchy & delicious & a great display before we gobbled them up!

Audio books

This pod is my sewing studio CD player, only a new addition this year. A very old radio is still there too. Audio books, borrowed free from the library, are my way of staying in the studio, attached to the sewing machine. The long hours, with frequent breaks for stretching, are filled with many adventures!

Nia [last week's book cover comment] Setacolour & Lumiere are the paints I use for the covers- nice & shimmery.

Decision made

Last week I was pondering the edge finish for my 103.5" wide quilt 'Interlude'. As you can see I went with a binding of sorts- a black see-through ribbon. The quilt is 20.5" long so I didn't loss any in a facing finish. Do you like the Texas print batik on the back? At the time I saw it in Texas, I just bought lots, as I loved it.

Coffee with love

Yes Jan, a journal cover made from African fabric bought from Dena Crain a few years ago at a SAQA conference in the USA. That fabric has travelled a long way & is finished with a small needle felted panel & hand stitching.

The pleasure of coffee and cheesecake at a cafe with Bob, while the rain was gently falling & a lovely surprise on the plate.

A rare sight

My cutting table is normally covered in the current project & numerous other bits & pieces, so this is a rare sight to see it 'cleaned' up. It was done while pondering the edge [procrastinating] for the long quilt.

And why do I keep a big red bird pen on the table? So I can see it under all the stuff that usually lives on the table- the regular ones just don't stand out enough.

Lunch with a friend

Lunch out with a friend is always special. The added pleasure was trying a new spot to eat- The Fig Tree Deli at Camp Hill where I had the Roast Vegetable & Goat's Cheese Tart with a sweet red capscium relish- delicious!

A long piece

I have been working on a 105" wide piece. It is the top fabric you see on the artist residency studio design wall. This photo is from last November when I had printed the fabric. Now it is stitched & I'm left with the decision of how best to finish the edges.
The heart wrenching images and news from devastated Japan are very upsetting & unsettling. Deepest sympathies & condolences to everyone with family & friends in the affected areas.

New Zealand Symposium

It's been a long time in planning, but next month the Remarkables Symposium is taking place in Queenstown, New Zealand on the South Island. Are you joining me in 1 of the 3 workshops I have on offer? Above is 'Opal Necklace' from the Opal Fever workshop. My other workshops are 'Leaf it Alone' & 'Divide & Conquer' with images in the student gallery section of my website.

Jane & Virginia, thanks for your comments yesterday & I hope you both enjoy your blogging journey.

Blogging

What is it about blogging that we love so much? This question comes to mind after I have added another friend's blog to my side bar- 'Jane madly quilting'. I want to know what Jane is up to in her busy life & she is telling me through her blog.

Blogging is immediate, personal, captivating & connecting. I value the friendships I've made through blogging, I value the insights shared through blogging, I can't start my day without blogging!

And I know there is so much more to it. Please keep blogging.

Book cover continued

After piecing the printed & rubbed fabrics together, I machine quilted with seaside imagery.

The final touch, metallic paint brings out the texture.

Rust = Love

This is an old, rusty oven door that Bob found in the bush & gave me as a gift. I was truly impressed by his gesture & love it!

This is in the process of being transformed into a book cover, with a lighthouse theme. The printing on the purple fabric is from the Byron Bay Lighthouse area so had to be included.

Birds

Jan, thanks for the comment yesterday- I tried to get depth into the quilt via the quilting, so perhaps it has been successful.

One of my favourite flowers is the Bird of Paradise & this clump in my garden has been the best for many years, following the rains.

Today I'm sending special get well wishes to all my friends who are battling sickness & ill health. These birds may not be the 1000 Cranes of Happiness, but they bring joy to my heart & may they do the same for you.

'By the Pond'

The cottonwoods were gloriously golden in parts of our USA travels last year & at the Franch, a large tree grew on the bank of the pond. The leaves were crying out to be printed & I did!

Fiesta

Finally I've added the skull beads, bought last year in the USA, to 'Fiesta de los Muertos'. As I've been spending most of my studio time, machine quilting, this was a welcome change.

Off to India

These guidebooks will give you an idea of how excited I am. Doing some reading as I'm off to India for a 16 day tour  8-24 January 2012 with Textile Traditions, operated by Australian Rhonda Preece, who leads the tour. I'm going to 'rub' India, see some amazing places, meet skilled textile workers & play elephant polo!

 I would love you to join me on this once in a lifetime adventure- bring your oil sticks & we'll make unique textile souvenirs. The Textile Traditions blog button on my sidebar will take you to tour information, itinerary & frequently asked questions.

More quilts

This is a back view of 2 more quilts for my 'Destination Texas' exhibition. We photographed a few yesterday & I still have many more to complete- busy, stitching fingers in March! But I'm thrilled to know the exhibition will be part of Houston Quilt Market & Festival & enjoyed by many quilters from around the world- what an incentive to keep working & quite daunting at the same time!

Ali, I didn't realise that quilt making is keeping me fit, but you're correct!

'Welcome'

This was the welcome decoration I printed last November in Texas.

And here is the finished quilt, 41.5" h x 53' W. The bottom blue section is the fabric I rubbed in  Las Vegas- the California number plates on the bench seat in the air conditioned comfort of the Mandalay Casino. Francie, you can see how they have been used.

The other number plate, on the brown section, is from the old Texas farm truck at the Franch.

Leaf art

Using a cardboard box for a table, our 6 year old granddaughter collected & arranged these leaves- a budding environmental artist?

Red Gum

I love the flowering Red Gum. These photos are from Queens Park in Ipswich, which had extensive flooding in parts of the city.

Queens Park, Ipswich

After the rock hunting, we headed to Ipswich for a picnic lunch at Queens Park, Ipswich. It is a delightful, green oasis with a great playground & free mini-zoo with native animals, many of them from the local region. We found the mosaic art near the Bilby enclosure.

Natural patterns

Spent Sunday out & about for a bit of exploring with the grandchildren.

It was sunny, hot & fun scrambling over rocky slopes. Ali I hope the dustpan & brush are being put to good use!