What Fun
I had to give out a gift along with others in my Art Quilt group. What to give is always a problem for me, others seemed to know instantly what they were going to have for their parcels. While I was dyeing with a friend I suddenly thought it might be fun to play with dye and some scraps of wadding.
I also dyed string, yes string, and tied the wadding up with coloured string pieces. Everyone seemed happy with their gift (as I was with theirs) some even thought I'd been felting.

Dyed Wadding really looks lovely and I'm looking forward to playing with it some more.
I made a small bag with one of the pieces and added lots of lovely threads and some of the dyed string to decorate.

Allyson's Dyeing Day

My friend had a day playing with dyes and fixed a white skirt that had picked up some colour from something else (?) in the wash.
I'm waiting for a picture of her wearing the skirt, it looked really lovely.

What I've been working on

The orange dyed fabric has free motion quilting vase and flowers. Trying to do some whole cloth work just to see what happens. I think I need different threads so the stitching stands out more without me having to overstitch too much.

The stitchery has been going to quilting group with me for some time and is finally finished. Now to add a binding or turn it into a cushion, I'm leaning towards the cushion at the moment.

Tried my hand at painting with dyes, I'm not a painter but I'm quite happy with the way this turned out. Good fun doing free motion stitching to highlight.

Some of my favourite photos from our trip


I haven't done a lot of work since I've been home, I think I've caught the travelling bug big time and would like to head off again.














I love the colours in the water picture, so true


of Australian landscape. A place to stop for a quiet cuppa in the middle of nowhere.


A beautiful sunset.













Doors on a tin building at Sunrise.


What could be better than 2 brolgas?







Driving down the road and finding a whole flock. sight to behold I can tell you.

Playing with Photos

Original, First Play, Second Play,

Its interesting playing with photo programs its like your seeing something through different eyes

Good Morning

The things you see on early morning walks.

Owl Collection
I have a thing for Owls and I have a new cupboard to keep them in. This is a collection thats been over 20yrs in the making and makes it easier for friends to get me presents. I've had a few brought back from overseas holidays and there are several that my grandchildren collected from happy meals at MacDonalds.

I also have a new Owl (isn't he cute) made for me as a birthday present by a lovely friend.
She found this in a magazine and I can tell you it was a big effort for her as she's new to the patchwork thing.





The Puppy
Someone needs to tell this Puppy that he's no longer a small puppy that fits on a knee. I dont think he wants to know mind, happy where he is on my sons knee.

Some Machine Applique

This piece is a larger version of the centre of my 'Florade' pattern which can be seen here. http://www.rosdye.com.au/Florade.htm

I usually use a dyed background in my work but this time wanted to see the dyed fabrics on a white background.

Painting on Fabric

After a recent workshop there was some leftover dye that was made up for painting on fabric so I had a little play.

No plan, just using up colours and being very free with large brushes. The fabric was dry and hanging on a plastic covered wall.

This was an enjoyable exercise, I'm quilting this now.

Mother Sun Shines Down

Help save the

planet. The sun
may be shining

and smiling but I'm sure there is a lot of concern out there for the state of our planet.

Lets look after it and keep the sun shining.

This piece is in the early stages.

The background is another example of playing with dye and making a background. The fabric was wet, lying on plastic, the dyes applied using paintbrushes and blobbing to do the clouds. The marks on the fabric are caused when airbubbles stop dye reaching
some parts of the fabric. I like the way the die ran up into the sky and looks like dead trees

Painting on Fabric with Fabric Paint

This piece was done using paints and small brushes.

It reminds me of a sunset I saw recently over a dam.

The paints travel well on the fabric and you don't need to use a lot of paint to get a good effect.

This was done on dry fabric and ironed to set.

At the Museum Again


Its nice when you can encourage your friends to play along with you.
I sent a friend this link http://www.dumpr.net/museumr.php to look at and she played and put one of her quilts in the gallery.
This quilt of hers is one of my favourites.

See mine below

Landscape in the making
I'm trying to use some fabric scraps that I've been saving for a long time. There's a lot of them and they are little pieces that I've dipped in dye to check colours, some were collected after workshops too.
I dont normally plan what I do, just roll up the sleeves and get to it, that way of working is proving difficult this time. It could be because I'm limited with fabric choices or I'm going about this all wrong. May also be a learning curve as one of my friends has suggested.

I didn't like the first layout so pulled all the pieces off and started again.
Now I've added more colour in the sky and a second row of hills and some acccent strips to outline the tops of the hills and I've free motion stitched the sky and hills because I felt they were done.

Next - I've added a road or a river, (we'll have to wait to see how that pans out) and I'm not sure if I like whats happening now.

I've tried to add some paddocks, (remember I'm limited by fabic colours), I really didn't like the paddocks, too much of a slope or too big or too colourful - then I got a headache and put it away.
Let me know what you think, please join me on this journey.

A nice surprise

I've framed this picture to show it off more. It was sent to me by Jennie Vaughan who made it from my pattern published in Country Craft and Decorating magazine earlier this year.
Its always nice to get pictures from people who've made up something of mine from a pattern or magazine article.
Thought this deserved sharing.

At the Museum

This was fun to do http://www.dumpr.net/museumr.php

play with your quilt photos and see how they might look hanging in a museum.

I tried it with a few of mine and this one I liked the most.

My First Quilt

Not the best of photos but you can get an idea of the quilt and the work I did for a first effort.

It pays to not know what you are going to do, just as well I was truly comfortable with sewing when I started.

This now hangs on a wall at my Mum's house and although I kept it for a long time Mum had always admired it so I'm being a good sharer.

Remodelling

This is a jacket I made in the 90s and I haven't worn it for a long time. I wore it on an overseas holiday with my mum and met a lot of nice people because of it (because of the jacket that is) everyone was intrigued and wanted a closer look and asked lots of questions.

I have unpicked it this week and there are a few big pieces that would make up into good size bags.

Lots of fancy stitching and fancy threads. Lets see what the next couple of weeks brings.

Why wont things just work

This past month my card reader hasn't been working, the computer told me it wasn't working therefor I know.

So I went shopping and bought a new card reader and managed to blog some photos and catch up on my postings.

A friend rang today and asked me to take a photo of my new doonah cover and send it to her so she could see it. Taking the photo was easy.

Unfortunately thats where easy ended. The computer told me the card reader wasn't working when I tried to download the photos. Knowing the computer was right last time it didn't ring true in this instance as I was using the new, u beaut card reader, couldn't possibly be broken it was new.

I unplugged cords, card, cords again, card again, and so on, and eventually, in not a very polite way told the ==== computer it was wrong, that didn't help. In an attempt to retain some sanity I unplugged the new card reader and plugged in the old one. Futile you may think seeing it was broken and remember the computer told me it was broken, well guess what? The rotten thing worked and photo (yes, all that for 1 photo) was loaded into my folder. Promptly sent to my friend and I'm still stunned, disbelieving, and the proud owner of two card readers, one of which doesn't work, not sure which one but one of them is BROKEN. The computer said.

One of my early pieces

This piece has been hiding in a cupboard and has been hung up again.

It was made a few years ago in the early days of dyeing fabric and was the first time I tried raw edge applique.

Its good to go back and see where you've been in your quilting journey and I'm pleased that there are still old works around that still give me pleasure.

Toowoomba Outing

Our patchwork group went to visit a few quilting shops in Toowoomba Qld and we all had a great time and bought a few treasures and new equipment.

This little chook joined us for lunch and fortunately only got up on the table after lunch was finished.

Painting Play

I'm playing with paints and these are 2 of my latest pieces.

I'm excited about a trip later this year out to the desert with my husband and I think there may be a link with the upcoming trip and these painting from my head.

I'm planning to take paints on the holiday and capture some of Australias outback scenery but more importantly the colours of the sun sets.

Hope you enjoy these.

Still having camera problems so please excuse the bad photos.

My latest Work

I've been working on this piece for a while.

Sometimes things happen quickly and sometimes not so quick. This was one of the not so quick ones.

Not that it was difficult but lots happened while it was

being made and it kept getting put aside.

There's a larger version also which is still waiting to have borders added and of course will need to be quilted.

I've also made a couple of the smaller blocks into smaller pieces and at present they are being quilted.

This is my new pattern, it is already on the Pattern page of my website at www.rosdye.com.au and I'm taking orders. Pattern almost ready.

There are no kits yet because I'm not sure if I'm going to keep dyeing fabric. Shock, Horror, Gasp.

Being on tank water and very aware of the water shortage I'm thinking there's probably enough fabric out there to work with without me dyeing more. We'll have to wait and see what happens there but the thinking process has begun.

I am without a computer and for the moment working on my husbands lap top.
No access to photos to upload, Working on a bag for a birthday present. Photos later
when all is back to normal.
So hard typing on this tiny keyboard and seeing on a small screen, especially when you
have a really big screen normally.
Hopefully it wont be long before all is back to normal

Raw Edge Bags

Down Under Quilts April issue has featured these bags in thier new products page.

I really enjoyed making these up and dyeing fabrics to use in them.

Kits are available on my website. www.rosdye.com.au

There's also a great feature story on Self Portrait Quilts, my Make Mine Tea is one of the quilts used in the story.

I've been remiss at writing and posting photos on my blog of late.

First there was Easter and Grandchildren staying over, lots of fun and they helped me paint the spare bedroom, at 11 and 13 they did a great job.

Then I painted the kitchen cupboards inside and out, I'm not big on fancy kitchens but needed to update so painting was the way to do it. That was messy, cupboard contents all over the dining room and laundry. Losing stuff, finding stuff, putting stuff back in cupboards and finding I had more room.

I've moved my work room upstairs out of the way, I feel like I need a break from all the sewing or at least a change in some way and as of now I'm not sure what that change is going to be or what its going to bring.

My house has been neglected for some time as I have always spent a lot of time sewing for most of my life, I feel like a change now and I'm actually enjoying the cleaning up and thowing out, the painting and rearranging, making decisions about what I need and what I can do without.

Today I felt like sewing or creating something but a family visit was planned so it didn't happen. Friends coming tomorrow for a patchwork day so I may get something done then.




I have photos in my camera to download but my cardreader isn't working and so far I have no idea whats wrong so the photos will have to wait.


This was a photo of a flower. I played with it in Paint Shop Pro and was rather pleased with the way it looked.

My second piece from the Esterita Austin workshop in Queensland. I've changed a few pieces since this photo was taken but can't download from my camera at the moment so the new photos are stuck in the camera. I enjoyed making the first piece more than I did this one.

I'm just not happy with it, Ive changed the sky and added a road going into through the buildings but it doesn't thrill me.

Newest Quilt



This is a very early stage photo of the latest piece
I've made and I'm currently working on writing
up the pattern.


Its almost finished, quilting is all done and the binding
is about to be put on.


Should have the pattern ready soon.

Esterita Austin Workshop

A fantastic day was had yesterday at a Queensland Quilters organised workshop with Esterita Austin who is out here doing workshops in Australia and New Zealand and I believe she's been very very busy.

This is my piece at the end of the workshop yesterday. Using Esterita 'Misty Fuse' and pattern, we fused our pieces to the background and then painted in highlights to show light and dark and let me tell you it was a great deal of fun. I'm doing the Portals workshop next week and so looking forward to it.

Greenbank Show Queensland

This weekend is our annual local show which is quite a big deal in this area.

Its also one of the biggest horse events in Sth East Queensland.

Our quilting group has been meeting for 10 years at the community centre where the show is held and to celebrate we decided to be a part of show weekend and hang some of our quilts.



Quite a few of these quilts have been made as presents for members special birthdays.



My bright one stands out a little.











In the spirit of the occasion I entered a couple of my bags and won 1st and 2nd prize, (I don't think there's actually a prize other than the ribbon)








Vicki's Blue and Yellow Birthday Quilt.







Faye's Wedding Ring Birthday Quilt