27 December, 2005

Christmas Eve Crash
My Daughter and Grandson were on their way to get some last minute shopping when someone turned across an intersection in front of them.
Fortunately they only have bruising from their seat belts and air bags. Theirs is the blue car.
They went to hospital in an ambulance and had x rays and we're glad they were not seriously hurt. Now they have no car to get around, Kirstie is on work holiday and the children on school holidays and they are going to be spending a lot of time at home.
She said yesterday that she was catching up on some reading.

We sleep over at her house Christmas Eve and have our Christmas dinner in the cool of the evening, prawns, ham, salads, desserts. Pancakes with jam and cream for breakfast.
We get to see the excitement of unwrapping presents in the morning then we go home and hide in the airconditioning and celebrate with friends and this yr visiting family Christmas Day evening.
Hope you and your families are safe this Christmas. I'm thankful that mine are only bruised.
Christmas temperatures for the last week have been from 34c - 39c (95F -102F) its humid and very opressive and the airconditioner is working overtime.

24 December, 2005

More Playing
Working with 7 shades of one colour. Light Grey to Dark Grey
Playing with Friends

I bought the book 'Color & Composition by Katie Manopust Pasquini' and have been playing with friends. We were away for a weekend and did a couple of the exercises from the book. Drawing the still life a few times then making up a journal size piece from the drawing. Not using the drawing as a pattern but free hand cutting the pieces for the applique which was quite different. This is one of the best books I've bought lately.

This piece is mine, that lovely red orangefruit, is, or was, an orange. Might need more practice at drawing.
This is Lexie's














This is Trish's



22 December, 2005

Hearts & More

This is one of my favourite wall quilts that hangs in my family room during spring and summer. It is in Patchwork & Quilting magazines Year Book for 2006 as a project. The magazine arrived in my mail box yesterday and the quilt is displayed beautifully. This is my first project for that magazine.

13 December, 2005




Decorated Bras

A group of quilters go away every 2 months for a weekend of stitching and laughing.
Last year we decided that decorated bras would be our Christmas party highlight for 2005. Lots of moaning and groaning followed and continued throughout the year, but the outcome was outstanding.
One member was diagnosed with breast cancer during the year & had surgery so the Bras turned out to be a special tribute for her.

Great weekend

Being the modest creatures they are I am only posting pictures of the bras not the ladies wearing the bras.


The Bra Bag


07 December, 2005

Another Photo

This is a photo of the two beings that share my life. Couldnt help playing with this photo and I was really happy with the way it turned out. Keep thinking there must be a quilt in one of these photos I've produced. The bigger being had just finished digging out the pad for his new shed, and the small being was a constant companion, always lying in just the wrong spot, either where the dirt was being dug from or where it was getting thrown to.



The original photo

Special Photos

I've been playing on the computer with a couple of photos and showed them to a friend last weekend. She really liked them and asked me to print them out for her. She sent me photos of them framed and hanging on her wall and now I'm wondering why I only played with them and didn't think of framing them myself.





This is the original photo before I played with it.





The second framed photo
and the original


There is one more photo thats been framed but that will have to wait until after the weekend as it is going to be a door prize for someone at our bi-monthly retreat and it may spoil it if I put it up here now.

Off shopping today to buy a new printer, scanner, copier, fax machine today. I'm excited about the prospect of another new machine to play with.

30 November, 2005

Another Play Day

Working with friends yesterday and we had a productive yet fun day. Last week we did some playing and spread threads, yarns, rovings and fabric pieces on a foundation then covered them with light weight fabric and free motion stitched over the top anchoring everything down. Then we ironed them under baking paper to melt the light weight fabric, which melted a little. Forgot the heat gun so we could really give it some heat. We were happy with our play day. A couple of postcards were made with the pieces.
Forgot the camera that day and didn't take any photos. Yesterday we had another play day and I did take photos. Working from pictures Lexie and Trish made Journal size pieces after we did some melting of fabrics with the heat gun.


Lexie's Leaves
Our friendly photographer worked with a great photo she'd taken of leaf litter. some of the leaves are free motion stitched to give a 3D look to the piece. More stitching to come.






Trish's Beach Scene
This beach scene is looking great and I look forward to seeing it when the stitching is finished. It was fun working with limitied pallets, only choosing from the fabrics they had to hand. I love Trish's rocks at the bottom of the small hill.




This is the piece I played with using some of the pieces we melted. I placed them on a foundation, covered them with black netting then free motion stitched around and over.




New Work Progress

Funny how you start off thinking "This is what I'm going to do" and then you begin and as you start working on the piece the original idea can change and take on a form quite different from what you originally had planned. I started off with the photo below but things have changed drastically. I'm liking where this piece is going, the plan now is to add more leaf shapes that I'm going to find in my garden.

Really happy with the way these leafs worked. I used bleach to paint in the lines and it worked really well.

24 November, 2005

New Work Started
Took these photos of part my garden. I've always thought the tree trunk would be good to reproduce with fabric. I have begun working on the leaf litter under the pot which I'd like to include in the piece.


This is the start of the leaf litter and I've started working on the grass. I'm using spray glue to build this onto wadding then free motion stitching things down. Its very freeing and so far I'm very happy with the way it looks.

Beach Scene Stage 2
Teresa added some more pieces to her beach scene this week. She's very happy with it and has started the free motion quilting.

18 November, 2005

Helping Hands
38" x 44"
This is a piece I've been working on for over a year.

Each year we have 'White Balloon Day' to increase public awareness of child abuse. One of my Journal Quilts, (made for the 2004 Quilt Art Journals project) depicted the October event and it occurred to me that the Bravehearts Organisation that works towards helping abused children and raising awareness of abuse might be interested in this piece in a larger format as a fund raiser. I emailed them with a picture of my Journal Quilt and an offer to make a larger one for them and they said yes thankyou.

It has taken longer than I thought as I could only work on it when I was able to deal with its message. Today I'm going to send another email and let them know its ready.

Close Up

and Septembers Journal Quilt.

8 1/2" x 11"

Painted Backgrounds
Had some fun painting some backgrounds to use with my big tree fetish. I love big trees in my quilts.
I sold a couple so now have to do a few more and I haven't been able to use one myself so might have to hide one just for me.
Here are two for you to see.


10 November, 2005

Teresa's Beach Scene


Working with Teresa yesterday was great fun.
After her success with her first drawing and the piece she made from it she was ready to move on to something larger.
Working with the few dyed fabrics she had and a few pieces from my scrap box this is what she was able to do in only a few hours.
The sky fabric was a bit too blue so we worked on it with a rag soaked in some bleach, dabbing it here and there to give the piece some clouds.
Next time there will be some plants added.
The pink fabric was one of Teresa's largest pieces and the only piece big enough to use as a border, it brightens up the whole piece.

Friends Heads

Had a great weekend with friends and managed to get them to let their hair down and work on a portrait each. Julie-Ann on the right is blossoming into spring and Ann is trying out Tranquility. Not really their type of work or colours but they were happy with their
efforts

29 October, 2005


Recycled Postcard

Scraps of fabric were spread out on a plastic shopping bag. Then covered with more plastic and placed in a hoop. Twin needle stitched with the sewing machine then ironed to melt the plastic.

The white plastic bag melted more than the clear plastic bag did. The vegetable bag, used on the roof, melted more than the clear plastic bag.

Recycled cardboard on the back.

27 October, 2005


I've been painting the external doors of my house. I had dark green doors which once upon a time I liked. Now I need a change and what a change. The house is 150 feet up the driveway and the door can now be seen from the front gate. Previously there was no sign of the house through the trees, different story since the paint job. I still have to paint the door surround and then it will be time to move inside. No more cream walls.
Why the Maggies were Neglected


I had a creative workshop at home and was busy with other things.
It was a good class and Teresa, who said she couldn't draw did a great job. She was extremely happy with herself.
She did some drawings and then made a small piece using her drawings as patterns. Some practice at free machine quilting and applique and she was in her element. I really enjoy workshops when someone finds their talent and their confidence is boosted and they too enjoy the process. I guess thats what its all about.


Dying Days



What a great palette from a recent dying workshop.
Hungry Visitor
I had a workshop today and neglected my other duties. Not to be ignored the neglected came inside and perched on the lounge. Bread was used to entice her outside. Every year I feed bread and other treats to the Magpies so they can feed thier babies and this year its been a treat as she comes to the door and waits for food, flapping her wings as if saying hello. I've been painting the front door so the handles are off, the screen door is off and she came inside 3 times yesterday along with her mate on one occasion. Must get the handles back on today.
Looks to me like they have an interest in quilting?




26 October, 2005

"Its Raining"
This is the first of the postcards I made to swap with the "Aus_NZartquilters". Inspired by the rain we've had after many months of dry weather, water restrictions and dry brown crunchy grass. I've stitched down from the top with glitter thread and left the ends floating free.



Another Postcard in the mail.



"Flowers in the Rain"
Dyed fabric on the back, wool roving spread out and ironed with steam under baking paper, threads cut and scattered over the piece then free machined with glitter thread at the top and a green thread on the bottom.

I'm enjoying working with these small pieces and trying new things.

07 September, 2005

Sisters

I've just had a great 2 weeks with my sister Evelyn. She lives 1200 miles away and we don't see each other often so it was a special holiday for both of us.
To finish it off well, for me that is, we both drew a picture of each other and made up a portrait which I kindly let her take home. I can make my own later.



Evelyn doesn't sew or draw and surprised herself with her finished piece. She had always wanted to draw a Giraffe which is the only reason I have one on my head.


This is my picture of Evelyn, the elephant collector.

A flower & butterfly to remember the time spent in my garden and hers when I visit her.

Hearts for love and the Sun for warmth and hope.




25 August, 2005

Fabric Bowls

Had somefun making fabric bowls. This is one of my favourites.
It looks good inside out too. Its now full of favourite buttons and tyvek beads.