Material Obsession

stop and think

I arrived home the other day and had one of those moments, a moment that made me stop in my tracks.  I opened the car door and for some reason found myself staring at this pitch fork.

It is a serious looking garden tool but here it is, standing still in the garden seemingly overcome by the vine. At first I thought how beautiful it looked but then I had to wonder.  What was I looking at?  Is this a symbol of my life? Am I surrounded by beauty as I work or stuck in the mud? Is someone trying to tell me something?  Have I dropped tools on important chores?  Has the garden of my life taken over and stopped me in my tracks?  Is this a good sign or a bad sign? Stand still too long and get grown over?

Anyway, this is it.  The last day of summer holidays for the youngest boy. The last day for lounging around, eating everything in the fridge, disappearing out the door with a bike, skateboard or pack of friends.  The last day for spontaneous slumber parties that mean laughs and music in the night before big breakfasts.

Isn't it funny how teenagers can't see what is coming?  Despite the reminders that it is time to wind back the sleep time in preparation for school nights he was still goofing around very late. I found this summer I spent a lot of time talking about consequences.  Can we actually teach them to understand why we, the boring, strict, stupid, nerdy parents say what we say?  How do we get credibility with these free thinking action seekers?  Is it fair to strip them of their spontenaity in exchange for responsibilities, rules, schedules and the rigour of routine?  I spent a lot of this summer playing tug of war in my head.  I like to think that reasonable conversation sinks in better than hard line but when they were bumping around at 2am this morning I had to wonder if I have failed.  Perhaps I should go honk the horn of my car at this early "responsible" hour...or maybe get that pitch fork and dig him and his friends out of bed.  Ok, I won't but I can enjoy the feeling of revenge for a minute more...

My biggest boy did yet another day of service to Material Obsession this weekend. (hence HIS overgrown fork at home I fear!)  It seems he is forever putting aside his own thing to help me.  I'd release him if I could but unfortunately I need him too much.  John is the glue that holds it all together in so many ways.  He puts up with more quilt talk than anyone I know so I try to feign an interest in cricket.  Except he doesn't care if I like cricket.  Oh well.  Anyway, he hung our quilt hanger this weekend so we immediately hung some quilts up which actually was really fun!

Here we have the lovely Liesel making her 2012 debut in the shop.  One Saturday a month simply isn't enough.  Here she is showing Signature Crosses...only instead of customary signatures in the crosses I used Brandon Mably's Babble print.  Quiet joke on my part.  Oh yeah, I crack me up.  The other quilt will soon be featured in Quilters Companion and called Almost Pretty.  Even though they are very different quilts I like the way they look together and especialy with Liesel.  It will be fun to have such a grand scale for hanging quilts now.

Yep.  Last day of holidays and classes start this week with Brigitte Giblin.  Brigitte's classes should be fun this year as her book comes out in April!!!! Yes,  Quilt Mania is publishing a book of 20 of Brigitte's patterns. More info Ccoming soon!

We have spent many hours this January setting up for the start of quilting season!  Most of the ducks are now in a row and we can hit the road running.  And run we will.  Here are a few dates:

Saturday 11 February:  If you are a NSW Guild Member, Material Obsession is the shop for the meeting.  I will be doing a demonstration on using a design wall, templates and contemporary fabrics.  I've also got a bit of a slide show coming together for my talk. 

17-21 April:  If you are in France I'll be doing a few template workshops at L'Amour du Fils...and releasing the new book with Quilt Mania...and on that note, a package of Quilt Mania magazines is on its way to the shop now for sale at last!!!

25 May - 3 June:  Wellington, New Zealand.  The Capital Quilters of Lower have a big week if workshops planned and then I am heading to Handmade for the weekend with some fun workshops.

Is it June yet? No vine will ever grow up and stop me.  Is that a good thing? k

Bumble Beans

If you are popping over from Bumble Beans and visiting for the first time...welcome to Material Obsession! For those of you that haven't checked out Victoria at Bumble Beans she is a prolific quilting person in so many ways.  Over the years I have watched her run charities, form quilting groups and generally encouraged all of us to stop for 15 mintues a day and enjoy our process.  She is truley one of the voices of the world wide quilting community that we can all hear in our hearts.  This year she is running a series of interviews about colour and wasn't it fun she asked me!  Check it out and let us know what you think.  Bumble Beans

There has been a lot going on in the halls of Material Obsession.  We have been busy coordinating people for classes.  Calendars, lists, emails....yikes.  Very serious stuff. Fortunately, the paperwork gives way to catching up with quilting friends new and old as they visit the shop since we reopened.  The "new" location is so easy to reach from the city that it seems we get international guests every day.  It is really fun to meet people in person from all over the world and especially from our Block of the Month programs.

  At home I have been busy with my Fly Away with Me block for February.  These gorgeous birds by Marg George are simply divine and I have fallen in love with each one as they are made.  Not being born with a needle in my hand made me think I could never do a project like this.  However, in my own way I am getting through it.  The last few weeks have been hectic to say the least so I have enjoyed coming home and sinking into this project while finishing off the last applique block for the centre. Aren't they flirty!

The thing that always gets me with these birds is what a difference the eyes make.  Just adding that little tiny spot for an eye gives them so much personality.  The only thing left to do are six sets of feet...leaving them to last...a good thing or bad? 

 

In regard to housekeeping...and I don't mean the cleaning kind....Classes start next week.  We have sent out all of our emails with the class dates now.  If you have signed up for a class and you didn't get an email give us a call today.  If you didn't sign up but still want to there are a few random spots left in some great classes.  Give us a call or an email and we'll let you know what is left.

For example, we have several days with Marg George teaching in the shop per month.   In this class you can make pretty quilts in the traditional English style with hexgons and baskets of flowers like Sharon's quilt or...

Use those ideas to make something completely different like Moira's quilt.

If you would like to join us we had a few last minute cancels in two Friday classes.  Marg's classes are lively and fun.  She takes every student seriously and her advice on colour and technique is well thought out.  Her designs are traditional but quirky and full of delight.  These spots don't come up often so if you have been thinking about trying something new and different this year I'd recommend her class.

What about these curtains?  Many years ago I picked them up in an antique shop.  They are a gorgeous cotton lace but they had yellowed over time.  The other day I dumped them into the washing machine with some pink dye.  They are on trial in my sewing room.  Pink is not my colour but this is the space in the house where I can play the girl card.  I sit in here listening to the sound of the cricket, car renovation shows and those crab fisherman and every so often it just gets to me.  Sometimes it is just too masculine around here so I might revolt and hang them.  They are actually really "pretty"...not a word I use much.  I might just have to get the rods and hang them this weekend.  No time like the present.

This year we have some new people working at the shop.  Meet Kate.  She is our Wednesday gal and after only a few sessions it feels like she has been with us forever. 

Being a bit on the manic side, I love to surround myself with calm capable women that move through the day with a certain assuredness.  Kate is one of them.  So far we have been unable to scare her with stacks of fabric, bom's to pack and the way I move everything around so that just when she finds something it is gone again!  I welcome Kate to the team and we look forward to many happy Wednesdays.

Dashing off but one more thing, the details for the Sue Spargo workshops are starting to finalise.  We have a list of people already that we will be contacting soon but if you are not on it pop us an email.  Spaces will go and she is always a great experience. 

Happy post Australia Day to all of you! k

 

2012 BUZZ Word!

drum roll please.....COLOUR!!!!!!!!!! 

Last week the NSW Quitlers Guild Show committee rang up looking for a judge/sponsor for the colour prize....I could hardly believe my ears and it took me a second to realise they were asking me.  So, after blurting out an OF COURSE I WOULD LOVE THAT!!!! I turned to my partner in colour crime...Reece Scanell and we accepted the challenge.    Good thing we had two days of workshops coming up working our ideas together so we can solidify the plan for selecting the quilt that uses colour creatively, impactfully, smartly and stylishly.  It's a big task for the quilter and for us but we take this stuff seriously and will put our heart and souls into the process.  We'll also put together a nice prize with cash and colour combined!

So, for the past two days I have been teaching Colour Workshops with Reece..

        I love working with this guy.  It can be a bit scary because Reece, like me, is a high energy but the fact is he gets colour and he has a lot of interesting things to say and exercises to expand the words into concepts that stick.  He has a long background in photography, fashion and now his gorgeous textiles. We combine our  colour experiences into a session that speaks to quilters and makes them more aware of their personal colour environment. 
They were a well beautiful captive audience and two fun days flew by.  Day one was all about value and neutrals as we took the lesson of the morning to the stashes.  It was hard to stay focused on black, white and grey when you know what is coming but they did it.
It was a long day and by the end I know we all needed to sleep.  Day two started with lots of comments about dreaming of colour, obsessive thoughts of colour and a need to get straight back into it again!

And yes, that is Cardy Girl over there!  I have met Alison a few times but I have never felt that we didn't know each other.  Some people slip into your life and you just know they fit!

Yep.  A full day of working with the real thing...COLOUR!  Reece's fabrics are fantastic for establishing a palette.  The shot of colour that runs through makes them fun to consider and they looked fabulous in the variety of groupings that were made through the day.

Even our lunch area was full of colour so there was little time to let the brain escape!  We all worked hard and I can't remember a single minute when we weren't focused on the job at hand.  That is what colour does to us!  It gives us an all over body experience.  Here is a photo drum roll.... these photos are NOT posed...can't you just hear them thinking?

And what day is complete without the Wizard of Lunch behind the curtain whipping up the tasty treats! or is that cleaning up afterwards...not sure but she's still smiling!

The last part of the Reece session was analytical.  It was really fun to hear them express what they had learned in terms of quilts.

Look at that concentration...brains in FULL GEAR!

Some faces familiar and loved...

Alison got her oranges done quick smart!  Too easy.

Bronwyn blended the old with the new!

Mary dove into Kaffe's reds!

Marina got her green thing on!

Prize to longest distance traveled goes to Alex who lives somewhere 1,000 miles left of Alice!  My mind wanders when I think of this happy chick heading back to a remote locatio with a mind full of this stuff.  How will her environment shape what happens now? 

And Deidre got a mountain of blue shaped up beautifully!

I caught Kaye by surprise but she gets the prize for getting the most blocks sorted before pack up time!

And finally, where's Heather? 

I am grateful to all these women that took the plunge into the colour pool these past two days.   I am in love with all of them for their open hearted approach to the process.  The secrets of their personalities are somewhat revealed in this process so it takes a bit of courage...courage they all have in spades.  We look forward to hearing back how this impacts their quilts.  The goal?  To make quilts that express an inner message using the colour as a tool and controling the emotional attachement we might have to one colour or another.  k

mmmcoffee....

It's early and I am off today to teach colour workshops with Reece but while I have my coffee we can have a chat.  If I am to be truthful about my life skill capabilities I'd say that 50% of me is chaos and 50% organised.  Somehow I manage to get through tasks but I am not sure how. These past few weeks we have been updating our data base while processing nearly 200 people into classes!  That my friends is a task.  Finally got all the emails out yesterday...many of them sent twice due to typos...I mean really.  If it is all about dates and times you'd think I'd check before hittig the send button.  But that is where the chaos comes in.  I like the order but details escape me.  Anyway!  Late last night as we were packing up boms I thought, "hey, don't be so hard on myself, it's not disorganisation...it's simply too much to do."  Fortunately there are lovely people helping me that stay calm in the riot of flying reciepts and packages. Relaxation spread over me, but only for a secon and here is why...

Cath's job is to find subject matter for our Starting Blocks bom.  This month it was Wend's The Zoo pattern. Big project....

little project... The Starting Block for this month...stop and stare at cute kits.

We're going a bit cushion top mad, maybe as a result of all the gorgeous cushions in the homewares magazines.  Think that oh yea, this starter block could live on my sofa...given I have a stack of inserts to my left right now begging for a top...later my pet, later.   Then there was last Sunday for this...

I do the sample blocks for the Fly Away with Me bom by Marg George and so this was my Sunday!...and a few other evenings as well.  I don't know about you but when I spend time on a project when I look at it I remember the sounds of things going on as I worked.  Last Sunday our Noah, who is residing in LA at the moment skyped us.  After a few minutes he realised that if we put my computer on a stool in front of the tv he could watch the cricket on his computer via Skype!!!  I had to put my work down and marvel at that moment in time.  So much technology.  We all walked away eventually and had lunch while he enjoyed the cricket. 

Then there is this little beauty coming along nicely.  The Kaffe Beginner Sampler.  This has been my journey back to simple blocks with a focus on using colour.  

Then for Twist Again by Sue Ross we had this traditional beauty, Feathered Star.  This is one of my all time favorite blocks.  Liesel makes the samples for this one but the instructions were long and confusing.  We have been working for months trying to simplify them and in the end I designed a template with only two pieces and in the process made a few of these blocks using Art Gallery fabrics. 

Oh, she calls to me for more more MORE! blocks.  As is often the case, I liked it so much I made it twice...thrice...and soon more but I can't decide if before or after the cushions.  This block was fun to make.  I think back to a day a long time ago when I had a dream of making this block.  Somewhere in a box in the attic is my attempt.  It is wonky and crooked and filled with lost points.  I thought I would never be able to make it right.  That is one of the best things about patchwork...the ability to keep on learning new techniques, attacking new ideas and adding skills to the base.

For another few weeks we will have Jenny Burtons' antique quilts for sale at the shop.  They are a lovely sampling of what women did before all the mad colours. 

This one caught my eye the other day.  I love the delicate cross stitch.

Block after block of beautiful cross stitch.  It made me stop and take a deep breath.  Ain't she sweet?

Now, my last sip is gone and so am I.  The year is certainly off to a colourful start.  Hopefully the foundation of organisation is nearly complete so we can just enjoy the flow!  k

 

Moving Energy

Yesterday in yoga we discussed how the exercises are designed to move energy from one part of the body to another.  The series of movements increase blood flow and energise for a better balanced life...all good.  I always get lost in a bit of reverie about what these yoga lessons mean in life.  I think in a lot of ways learning to channel energy from bad direction to good is the key to life.  I read in a woman's magazine lately that you can avoid depression by telling yourself not to let the bad thoughts take control.  I practiced that the other day and it worked.  Hmm...I thought, I have the power of myself to control myself.  What a concept.

Two years ago we got a new dog named Cheeky.  She was OUT OF CONTROL.  I mean OUT. OF. CONTROL....in a BIG way.  I couldn't believe that after having the most loveable dog on the planet I now had one that drove me nuts.  However, I am pleased to say we have taught the old dog new tricks and she is now...loveable too!

Here she is having just released the ball.  This was an action I NEVER thought could happen.  She is in a "calm submissive" state, in the words of Ceaser, the dog whisperer.  We have studied the tv show and applied the theory and now we have a dog that is responsive to our commands.  She waits to eat, she waits for her walk, she ignores other dogs when we walk instead of trying to rip their heads off. (that is the best new trick!) The focus is still there... the need to own the ball but she knows with certainty that we are the pack leaders now!   This ball is mine and she knows it.

She still WANTS. THAT. BALL.  But we moved the energy from her to us.  The reward is great.

Then there is my other youngster, Sam.  I have watched his burning desire to make graffiti and worried about where it might end up.  He knows not to go out in public to practice.  With the summer looming ahead we decided that it was best to divert the energy and we gave Sam the back wall of the "bachelor pad".

 Sam quickly accepted the space and this is the third time he's designed and executed a huge design.  It looks great AND it keeps them off the streets.  We also got him a new bed over the holidays because now that he is nearly 6ft tall that old bed just couldn't fit his feet.  It meant we refigured his room which revealed a fireplace.  As soon as he saw the space this is what he did.

How cool is that colour lovers!  Random. Ordered.  Interesting.  Complete.  I wouldn't change a thing.  Chance definitely directed the creativity here.
There technique to graffiti, believe it or not.  It takes skill to get the lines right, to get the intensity of the colour, to make it just barely readable.  I keep meaning to have a long chat with Sam about what he is learning.  I am not a fan of destroying people's property with graffiti but I am a fan of it as a form of artistic expression that is full of the voice of youth.  I love coming around a corner and seeing a colourful image in an otherwise dingy neighborhood.  I appreciate that these kids, in the right places, can leave their mark on a world that is delivered to them full of the marks of others. 

Sam dares to make a statement about what he likes.  I love to walk into his room and discover just a bit more about him.  Slowly but surely he is making his mark.  His friends make marks too as they paint on his furniture and walls.  There is sharing of creativity there.  Thing is now we'll never be able to get him out of this room so I hope his future wife likes it too. 

How do we adults move the energy around?  There are great artists out there providing food for thought...a diving board of sorts into creative expression.

This year we are exploring a variety of ways to express ourselves in clasess.  I have ordered in some great books that add depth to the classroom experience.  These books are all full of helpful tips on technique and creative inspiration.  All we need is a point from which to jump into the void.

Check out the second part of the article I wrote for Quitlers Companion (issue #53) on my trip to the USA.  They all contributed to helping me learn to look around more for new roads to creative expression and I want to move that energy to all of you as well.  Upward, downward, any way you face the dog...keep the energy moving...k 

 

 

starting right

When I open the fridge and it looks like this...EMPTY of temptation it makes me feel both hungry and hopeful.  It means it is time to fill it up again with good stuff.  Nothing gets my attention better than a good clean start.  It is why I have to move the furniture when I clean.  It has to end up better.  I get an enormous amount of abuse for saying, "It is so much better now!"  The fridge is now stocked but one of my big boys has just departed for LA to do an internship with Bill Silva Management.

I may be smiling but inside I was bursting.  It gets a little easier...taking them to the airport and knowing that this second they are by our side but in a minute they are on their own.  It hits hard.  We left him at the gate to customs.  There was a line and he was waiting and although we watched for it, he never looked back.  Onward and upward to his new start in life.  I am sure he'll have a wonderful experience learning about the business which will involve release Jason Mraz's new album as well as lots of other LA stuff.  It will be interesting to hear what he picks up although I'll have to find someone else to tell me about it as he isn't my big talker! 

Starting the new year at Material Obsession meant we got into the shop and cleaned, sorted and rearranged EVERYTHING so that we could start out BETTER.  As we cleared piles of kit bits and papers we realised that last year we had moved into this space and started running so it was with enormous pleasure that we filed what we had dumped, stacked what we had thrown and displayed what we loved.

It now feels like home which is good because we have classes starting as soon as next week!  Our first workshop is a special one designed to get you off to a good start with colour. Our favorite theme!!!  I have teamed up with Reece Scannell to do colour workshops that talk theory in the morning and then in the afternoon we apply what we have learned using YOUR stash.  We will cover all kinds of colourful ideas over two days.  Thursday and Friday 10-3ish.  If you want more info give us a call of pop off an email and I'll fill you in on the details.  Don't be shy, this is a great way to start off the quilting season thinking about what you have and what you need to make dynamic projects.

Another fresh start this year is the return of Sue Cody.  Sue has always brought imagination to traditional quilting methods.  She is a thoughtful and talented teacher.  Yesterday she brought in a new quilt to show us for her classes this year.

This new quilt is no exception to her quirky style and clever use of fabric.  Based on an antique quilt, it is brought to new life with clean bright colours and a variety of applique and piecing techniques.

It is simply bursting with gorgeous colour and shapes.

We are in the final stages of data basing the class lists and calendar and to be honest, most of our classes are full to bursting but there are one or two great spots left. One change is Chris Jurd is now on a Wednesday, rather than Saturday if that is of interest.  The dates are 15 February and March.  

And the painting class with Kerry Thompson is set for Monday the 20 February.  If you want to check out Kerry's work before the workshop here is some info on her pop up gallery.

 

Starting right this year is all about colour and ways to play with it, understand it and above all, to enjoy it! k

quilting tasks

Basting is a quilting task.  It is so not creative that it is my least favourite part of the quilting experience until I actually start to do it and then I find it rather methodically relaxing and a time to review how the piecing went.    So, on the last weekend of the holidays I set about to finish what I had started.  I basted three quilts and prepared backings for two more.  Ah, it was like reaching the top of that hill...it wasn't fun but rather endured and in the end not so bad.

Having already decided on straight line squares for this quilt I got out my trusty 12 1/2" square ruler.  This clear ruler helps to get me one step closer to visualising how the lines will look, allows me to make straight lines and to choose the size that I want accurately.  My Bohin chalk pencil is always handy for marking the lines.  It comes with a variety of chalk refil colours that suit every project.  The lines will stay until I start to quilt.  I may have to go over them later but in the end they will easily rub off without damaging the fabric.

Bringing in a second ruler allows me to measure without moving the square and thus adding lines keeping the overall plan in mind.  Sorted.  Moving on to the next project which is my Wagga Star.  I have been eyeing off this project for several weeks now.  I love the simple lines and I want the quilting to reflect the contemporary nature of the quilt but also to subtly mention the "make do" nature of the wagga. 

I got out my triangle ruler for this one.  I like the zig zags and squares widely separated.  I started quilting this one later in the day and although the lines are there for guidance I found that it suited my impulsive nature to wander.  I traveled alongside the lines and took a few unexpected turns.  Too old to change now...following pre-set planned directions was never going to be my best assett.

 

To choose the colours I went to my perle 8 drawer.  In the past I have quilted waggas with kitchen string, crochet cotton or wool.  This time I selected a range of brown perle 8 cottons because they pick up a brown line in the plaid and remind me of the red dirt roads of Australia.  I'll go with that.

Quilting is the last frontier.  Just like with the many techniques added to my repetoire over the last 9 years in the shop, this skill area continues to intrigue me.  Finding designs and figuring out how to adjust them to my style is fun.  For Folk Art Garden I drew up one of my favourite flower designs and have been using it for the colourful patches.

It is keeping me busy and out of the bars at night now. Just kidding, I had my life time capacity of night life long ago. I have a feeling I'll be quilting a lot this year as the stack is growing and growing.  It is hard to decide which quilts to keep for this pleasurable experience and which to send off to get machine quilted.  Each quilt is a love affair for one reason or another.  It takes time but I love how the work grows and grows slowly at first and then it appears to be nearly done...then the borders which always take more time than expected.  It is a challenge to stay at it quilting at the same intensity on the borders as the body of the quilt.  With this one, I am working side to side so that I get a start on the borders before the end and that way won't loose steam at the end.  Hopefully anyway.  k

Summer...TIME

Lydia, the doll I made at Handmade in Wellington last year had a quick make over and is now staring in Better Homes and Gardens (Australian Mag).  I even saw her on tv on Friday!  We used some saved treasures to re-make her for the Summer Time Blues story.   They are fun to make and even more fun to dress up giving a home to trims, buttons, ribbons and lace in that basket over there...you know the one!

Kits for this doll are available now. It contains two screen print doll bodies, stuffing, hair and great instructions for putting her together.  Her outfits are up to you.  They make me wish I had a daughter.  I did have a minor coup this summer.  I gave a hexagon cushion kit to Oscar's girlfriend for Christmas.  Despite her protests about not being a sewer, she picked it up on Christmas day and had a go.  I even heard them talking about what a great project it would be for her to do while the cricket is on...Hello!!! Welcome to my world I thought but didn't say out loud because they already told me that although she liked it more than she thought I wasn't to get too excited about her future quilting activities.  Awwww.  Really?

Anyway.  The other project in the magazine this month is my Take Away Hexagon pack.  It comes complete with all the fabric for the top and back, the hexagon papers, a glue stick and a template for making up the top.  Hexagons are all the rage but if the tiny ones freak you out, this is a great project for the holidays...or any days really.  Here it sits on my favourite summer lounge looking hot with that African fabric!  I have spent many an hour sort of hiding from the cricket audience reading in just this spot.  The wind rustles the leaves in the trees like a lullaby...dreams ensue.  Ah, summer...time. 

This past weekend has been dedicated to capturing the spirit of summer time before returning to work tomorrow.  I have enjoyed the relaxation and am resolved to hang onto a sense of hearing myself think.  Yesterday, while everyone slept I headed out for my run.  I decided to take a new route away from the ones I know so well and are designed to avoid hills.  I headed out on streets I know but don't travel often in search of something new.  It was all going well until I realised I was caught up in a pocket behind a golf course that meant my run was now a marathon as I had to back track.  (My boys have since informed me that this is called TPR...the point of no return.)  As I ran I rediscoverd that I hate hills and the heavy tug of gravity.   Then to my surprise I heard myself say to me, PUSH harder...you CAN do it. Huffing for breath  at the top of the hill I realised I had made it.  Its not a new lesson but it did remind me that it is the push that makes us stronger, more capable and as a result more confident in our stride.

My 2012 resolution is to  pace myself.  To take the hills with the flat and to avoid the chaos that knocks on every door.  My new motto is to achieve "slow and steady".  Ok, I hear you laughing...not funny. k

Constant evolution

Many moons ago before Material Obsession was my obsession I started designing quilts.  This happened mostly because I can't follow directions.  Try as I might, my quilts never looked like the ones in the pictures.  Turning lemons into lemonade became my objective as I set out to make quilts that were a reaction to how I work.  Even back then my quilts were often inspired by the fabric before my eyes.  One of the quilts that I designed I called Fairies in the Garden.

It is a simple quilt using one of my favorite blocks, the Ohio Star with a bit variation.  Back then I made Flying Geese blocks with one rectangle and two squares so I then used the cut off half square triangles to make the alternate block.  Waste not, want not.  I am noting to myself that even back then I loved using stripes.  They consolidate my palette and give dynamic effect to the overall energy of the quilt.  This quilt has been folded up in a pile in my studio for years.  I decided to resurect the pattern with a new range of fabric earlier this year.  With great hopes of making an easy quilt fast I took home the Storyboek range from birch fabrics.  It sat there until two days ago when I found it while rummaging through may "Make it IMMEDIATELY" stack...

It started with the star block but quickly started becoming something else.  The design wall is a great way to exercise options.  I knew I had to make the star blocks first before I could play with the setting. I no longer make flying geese blocks without using my Marti Michele Flying Geese ruler which has no waste so I don't have the left over triangles...besides if I did I would be doing the same thing twice and that NEVER happens so it ended up like this...

There were a few options in between that played with the amounts of fabric I had available.  I chose this one because I like the way the shapes change as my eye flits around the quilt.  The final setting allows the grey to make a bit of a secondary pattern in the background which adds a bit of interest.  It is now the perfect size for a cot quilt.  AND it is neither girl or boy colours but both so a great quilt to make for a baby with undisclosed gender!  Deer Park...coming soon.

What next?  How to quilt it.  It was easy to select three perle 8 colours from my collection.

Then what to do for a pattern?  Well, there are a lot of straight lines.  I am currently doing a quilt with lots of stems and leaves so I think with this one I'll go the direct route and find a pattern that is mindless.  My book colleciton is now starting to include books that discuss quilting and present lots of options.  It is handy to thumb through books that feature quilting styles as it is a quick leap to visualise my quilt.

From the disaster that is my work space I found a pattern in Quilting Designs from the Past by Jenny Carr Kinney.   There are lots of great ideas in here.  It is possible to use them as they are presented or to change them slightly to fit the project.

I like this one and the way the lines cross each other to form the four patch.  It will be interesting to see if this is actually what happens when I sit down and actually start this quilt but it is a plan and now I can move onto the next project.  Soon I will have about 10 quilts to quilt before going back to work.  That only scares me a little.

Anyway, still enjoying the holidays.  We have been busy at the shop sorting and organising so that it is ready to start up on Monday.  Hoping you too are enjoying some spontaneous quilting.  Can't imagine a beter way to spend the day! k

Home for the Holidays

Holidaying at home is my favourite destination.  There is nothing I like better than waking up in my bed with a day ahead of me at home.  The blur of the pre-Christmas flurry is fading.  The HSC student survived and so did we.  Although I resisted the holidays did arrive and it all got done.  We started our celebrations with a birthday dinner for the oldest among us but it was the youngest that caught my attention.  How sweet is their excitement of kids at Christmas time!  From stolen Christmas tree candy canes to peeking at presents...they are the joy of the holidays.

Like little magnets they were attracted to Noah who has an amazing capacity to engage them.
On chilly rainy summer night they all insisted on swimming, getting dressed and swimming again until way past dark when they had their "last" swim before piling into the cars to go home.

Will made a birthday cake for Andrew.   Unable to wait, dying of curiosity, thinking perhpas that no one will know and not really caring if anyone notices, a little bite has gone to temptation! Doesn't that just say it all about Christmas time?
It was the children that gathered round the cake to perform the birthday rituals...to light the candles, to sing and then to dig into the predictable results of my good friend Betty Crocker.  After the cake they had to sneak away with the matches and all the candles to make wax hands before that last swim in the dark. 

We didn't get many hand made Christmas presents done this year and in fact it was a miracle that Christmas happened at all but we did manage to engage Sam in painting this box.  Any excuse to practice those graffiti skills!
And then it was time for our Christmas morning.  The boys are just that much older now so it was possible to get up and go for a run, make the breakfast preparations and relax before anyone woke up for the presents.  It seems like just a minute ago that the kids were up at the crack of dawn and John was practicing his favourite game of delaying the activities. It was a lovely slow paced day of laughs and tons of food.  Why is it that even when it isn't the year for the big crowds that we still cook like it is?  I had a huge ham, a salmon and a snapper which they all merrily enjoyed before hitting the Christmas parties.  Oh to be young and full of anticipation for the gifts of life!  

Moving on after Christmas is always a treasured time for me.  The meals are all cooked, presents unwrapped and a few days pass in the luxury of home.  Home.  Do what you want, when you want and how you want.  For me that means shut down the temptation to go fast or basically to do anything besides exactly what I want to do.  We have reached that time of life when our young adults have schedules of their own that happen without our intervention.  They make their plans and in a flurry disappear.  Gone are the days of kids underfoot needing lunches, drinks and help with everything.  The irregularity of the days keeps me on my toes but there is plenty of time to relax. We may have six for dinner or maybe just two.  We may have a house full or my footsteps my echo through the rooms.  It's nice.  It's nice when they are here and it's nice when they are out living their lives. 

What do I do when they are out?  Well, these past few weeks I have had a wonderful experience with Anna Maria's new flannel fabrics.  OH Heavenly softness!  I can hardly wait until winter (did I say that?!) so I can put the new flannel quilt on my bed!

That was one project, and then there were a few others.

These past 10 days at home have been full of stolen moments of my favourite things.  I have also enjoyed a nap every day, read two books and cleaned my closet (yes Kate, my t-shirts are colour coded for the next few weeks!) and had some great runs.  There is great joy in getting into the projects that have cluttered my thoughts for ages.  It was like finding the memory card full and hitting the download button.  Images turned to reality before my eyes and I can now brag that I finished five quilt tops, four of which are a new series that I am excited about.  

For New Year's we headed over to Balmain for a bbq.  We parked at the shop and walked along the harbour to our destination.  The streets were full of people heading to their viewing spots for the fireworks and the air was full of party excitement.

Ah, the fresh start of a new year full of the promise of a fresh start. 

The day dawns brighter and everything seems new today.  The flip of the calendar to 2012 brings the resolutions of hope and renewed energy.  Happy new year to everyone...lets get this party started right!!! k