Quilt for Centaur Community 20 Years

When I was asked to sew a memory quilt for the 20 year celebration of the Centaur Retirement Community, I didn't know what to expect but I soon found the project rather exciting.  Creating a design to best tell a story with the variety of shapes and sizes of the old photographs and newspaper clippings was quite challenging.  I found designing the quilt to look balanced, with all those shapes that had different stories to tell over the years, took days of day-dreaming and planning.  Needing to use the colours of the RSL Care logo added another challenge but they did help to give the layout a clear definition between commemorative, memorial, publicity and happy snaps. Altogether, I'm pleased with the result and I hope the residents of the Centaur Retirement Community are also.

My Quilting Bone is Working Again

Yes Bern, I'm back on line !
I've spent the last few months exercising my quilting bone and I've almost worn it out.  I've completed 4 quilts and am now in the process of doing the hand applique on another.  The first 3 were done to use up what was left of my 'oriental reds'.  I'm done with that phase and I needed to move on. Forgot to take a photo of the first one before I donated it away though, but here are the snaps of the rest.

"Hong Kong Markets":  Just strip pieced the small bits. It looks plain but the quilting makes it.  It's single bed size and there's also a matching cushion which looks better than the quilt.

"Natty Noshi":  I've been wanting to do a noshi for a few years and had intended to do it in the traditional style and colours with the Japanese fabrics.  As you can see it took on a life of its' own and then it grew some more when it decided to have a border with hexagons here and there.  Leftover pieces and spare hexies went onto the back.  What was being made to hang on the wall is now too big to fit.  I'll just have to spread it on top of all the others that are stacked on the spare bed.  LOL !

Since I also have a whole shelf of Japanese fabrics still waiting to be loved, I suppose I really haven't any reason not to follow my original intention and I could even use a pattern this time.  I might do the next noshi by needleturn, it always looks nicely 3D.  mmmm.

"Cottage Garden":  Did these blocks at our machine embroidery group sessions because they weren't too time consuming.  This cottage look isn't the usual thing that I do but I've fallen in love with it.  It feels snuggly and warm.  I'll need that when I get reeeally old.  I might just make a couple more with this look.  It reminds me of an eider down quilt my mother had.
Well I need to get to work now on the newsletter that I do so the next post will have to wait until next week.

Caloundra Quilt Show

Well, all the feedback indicated that the Quilt Show was a success, so now I can relax and get back into some more doodling.  It was the first show that I'd worked on and I found it very exciting to do.  Luckily I'd asked for photos of quilts with the entry forms so it was much easier to look at a little bit of colour co-ordination once the size matching had been done.  It meant there would be no need to have to move things around on the hanging day because of clashing colours or designs.  Being a beginner myself, it was really good on set-up day to work alongside group members experienced with these matters.  A couple of small hickups were fixed really quickly, really well and without fuss.  My project helper Cathie G makes a great partner to work with -  couldn't have done it without her.

Already I've made a list of reminders for the next show in 2013, little things to tweak and little things to keep in mind for improvement.  Hope I get asked to do it again  -  just loved it.

       Viewer's Choice Winner
      Wendy Clancy's  Candle Wicking
       "Taupe Beauty"
    

Sweeeeet Sixteen

Well, my "Sweet Sixteen"  Handi Quilter is set up and ready to go.  Here I am getting the hang of it with a little free motion tracing.  "Ma Sweet Thang" surprised me when he went with me to the Textile Exhibition in Brisbane.  Ain't he just the "Sweetest Thang".  I'd seen the machine at Harvey Bay recently on a holiday and did a little trial run and ooooooo  it was luverly.  It took a bit of rearranging the studio but eventually it all fit in and there's still room to  move, just,  lol.  The tabletop space, the lights, the bigger foot, it's all soooo goood.
Thank you "Ma Sweet Thang".

That Half Finished Painting

I just love shells.  There's a dish full on my dining table and a vase full on the TV cabinet plus the odd one around the place. This is the last painting I was doing of shells when I got sidetracked by textiles and fibres.
It just seems to sit there waiting for me to return.  I think it needs to be finished now as "Ma Sweet Thang" is  asking when the empty space on the wall above the TV is going to have its shells, as intended. Summer always feels a better time to paint, for me, so another few months seems the best option. After some of those beadies are done first.

More Beadies

Well,  I've started my "Big Beady Project.  2000 beads to make and 1740 to go.  Ooh that look like a lot more than I thought now that I've written it down.  At 100 a month mmmmmm that's a lot of months to go.

I have a half finished painting that has taken that long to finish.  I wonder which one will get finished first.

With three quilt tops ready to quilt and a couple of crazy felt hats planned oops.

Leaf Me Alone

The Buderim Surface Design Group issued a challenge for the "Year of the Forest" and this is my interpretation.  Too many of our forest are being cleared, hence the pun in the name 'Leaf Me Alone".
On a piece of my onion dyed silk, I used a fern frond as a stamp to create the design.  First with discharge paste, then with a yellow and then two green dyes. A bit of stitching to add texture plus a touch of gold leaf to finish.  Afterward I realised the gold leaf was a bit too much but what's done is done.