Material Obsession

Seasonal Business

It would be easy to sit by the window and stare with a head full to overflowing of wondeful experiences in year 2011.  Projects, presents and people that matter fill up every crevice.  The reality is that the days coming up are just the same as those gone by but for some reason they offer the peace of love and rest.  It is the only time of the year that I can truely turn it off and relax.  The Christmas spirit is upon me...the packages are accumulating under the tree and I am preparing to completely SHUT DOWN...

 

These open doors will shut from Wednesday 21 December until 9 January.  As much as I need the break I simply hate saying we will be closed.   Hate it. Closed to the excited faces of visitors, happy chatty stories of old and new friends, and to the deliveries of the inspiring patchwork stuff.  If you are visiting Sydney, pop us an email as we are nearby and if possible someone can always open up for those that have come a distance. 

For those of you that have ventured through these doors throughout the year on the rare occassion or regular, I thank you for your support of Material Obsession.  We are but the sum of our parts.  Take care and happy days always to all of you! k

 

We

MO Garden Challenge

 Before I reveal the results of the 2011 Material Obsession Staff Challenge  I want to show you a bit of what is NEW for 2012.  And, because we are slowly getting our act together, you can find the rest in the webshop!!! Material Obsession Classes ...

Material Obsession is all about colour so when we met Kerri Thompson a few weeks back we started  literally jumping up and down.  Kerri is a painter with the same kind of enthusiasm for her art as we have for our quilts.  When we couldn't convince her to get into quilts we decided, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em and asked if she would teach at the shop.  I have always found that painters make great quilters so why wouldn't the reverse be just as true?What better way is there for us to discover the mysteries of colour and the reaction it creates than with paint!!!  Kerri has a great attitude. Her workshop is defined this way...Red Grass and Purple Trees release your inner mad scientist in pre-school learning to Paint.  This class will be a no pressure environment based entirely on having fun with colour and learning a bit while we are at it.  One day workshops will be scheduled into each term so if you are interested in trying your hand pop me an email. The first one is filling with fast with the MO TEAM!. So, we are in the process of setting dates for one day painting workshops each term. 

 

Most of the things we initiate at the shop are the result of one of our own desires. 
Just like with the painting class, one of our other new found obsessive passions is the New York Beauty.  We fell in love with this angular beauty while listening to Bill Volkening at The Quilters Affair in Sisters.  It is a traditional block full of history that looks a lot harder than it actually is.  I sometimes look at the walls of the shop and imagine them cut and chopped into New York beauty blocks and now it will happen. 
...we went straight to Chris Jurd.  Chris is an award winning quilter with a real flair with foundation piecing.  We have a few spots left in her workshop even though we are fighting for the seats ourselves.   If you want to learn the secrets to perfect foundation piecing....come on, you can follow the lines!

Now, if you want to start the 2012 quilting season right, we are offering Colour Workshops in January.  They are set for the 17 & 18 January.  The following Saturday will be a workshop using the techniques.  The workshops start with Reece talking colour theory and then finish with me working that theory practically into your stash.  The quilt is Soul Searching. 
Start the year on the right colour foot.  Learning about colour is always an extension of what we know already.  The purpose of this class is to bring it home with practice.  I always teach from my own experiences and I learned so much doing this quilt that I highly recommend the experience.  Questions? just ask...this is a port-a-class...by the way...I'll be teaching it in Ballarat if you can wait until August (oh yeah baby!  Can't wait for that...!!!)

Funny how life breaks down into the things we can't wait to do or the things we can't wait until they are over!  Like Christmas.  I have been moaning and groaning about it for weeks.  Then my Christmas miracle arrived in the shape of Oscar's girlfriend, Martina.  Who wouldn't get the spirit in their bones watching this...
Can't reach darling?  How about a manly lift to those high branches?  And then the crowning angel!

Since the tree trimming (that she initiated)  she arrives each day and looks with a thrill at the base of the tree then with big blue eyes wide she states emphatically, "Kathy, there are still no presents under the tree!"  Ugh.  Ok.  Today I will go in search of wonders to wrap.  It just took that special nudge, that insight into the promise of joy.  I mentally made a note not to be such a busy grinch and to start to get into the swing of things. 
Christmas, brough to you by the young at heart...

I have been waiting to show the results of our MO Staff Challenge.  I don't remember if I mentioned how hard this challenge was for me.  Each time I tried to work on it I ended up making a mess in my studio from one end to the other trying to decide what to do.  Questions in my mind about what the others would do plagued me.  So many options confused me.  Gardens are our favourite theme in an environment where themes rule the roost.  So, here they are:

 

I'll start with Carolyn.  This is the view of the fence just outside the front door.  Note the scissors which are a trademark of the shop although the bright red has now faded to just the shade of weathered that we love.  The fence, complete with weeds (wild things grow freely at MO) sits just this side of a park of Victoria Road.  Birds sing, leaves blow in the wind and people pass by unaware, determined to get into the fabric!  Carolyn is most known for breaking the rules.  Knots on top, wayward stitches, things attached to things...she is the devil may care of the group.  Try, just try to sway her to think any way besides what she does.  If you succeed...my respect is yours.  We love Carolyn and encourage her like a wayward child to be herself...it's the only way to be.
Then there is Wendy who also chose to do a Material Obsession shop portrait of sorts.  There it sits 200 years on, in a wonderland of colourful flowers beckoning  to all that love colour.  Wendy is our not so secret, secret weapon.  She is skilled beyond belief in so many ways that we often make faces behind her back (in the nicest of ways)  in awe of what she casually does.  For example, remaking clothes for people so they fit.  WHAT!  As she casually talked about remaking pants all I could think of were the number of pants that I have completely destroyed while trying to make them fit me.  When we want to learn a technique she is the one we turn to.  When we want a pattern to explain something...Wendy again.  She is calm, intelligent, kind and as wonderful as her portrait, full of pretty things.  Wendy is our over achiever.  We set the challenge and sweated it out.  She did two.
What can I say.  The eyes rolled in all our heads when she pulled out the second one but in our hearts we love her for never admitting to limits. 
Grace is our night owl!  She teaches workshops and beginners at night.  Grace is ALWAYS smiling, calm and generous with her patchwork.  At Hunters Hill Quilting she has led the group as president for two terms and then took on the challenging job of community quilts where she encouraged and processed hundreds of quilts for a variety of charities in Sydney.  This is no job to be sneezed at as it made hundreds of people smile too.  Grace showed off some new skills she learned while in Houston this year.  A funky border and some reverse style applique, fun distorted suffolk puffs and a bit of delightful machine quilting on the night creatures she encounters at MO.  This challenge quilt is full of surprising detail which makes it fun to examine in detail!

Then there is Cath.  Generally known for all things small and perfectly formed, it was her idea to do this challenge in the first place.  Cath's garden has a sideways growth pattern and is just as obscurely creative as she is.  I remember when I first met Cath.  She bubbled into the shop and had an unassuming look around.  It was obvious from that minute that she had found a place where she belongs...even today six years later...that my friends is a sign of courage.  Classically trained in drafting blocks and applique she found the new direcitons of templates and colour new and exciting. Her colour sense was very similar to mine, without the colour.  Sophisticated, interesting and full of unexpected delights she is a pillar at MO.  Cath makes small things that are big in nature...just like herself. She is  the designer of our Starter Blocks and I must say she has done a FANTASTIC job of identifying techniques for this program and making stunning projects.  Stay calm and carry on was first said while watching her march through her day.  At any given moment she is likely to burst into laughter at the oddities of life discovered with a complete fascination with creative ideas. 
Who would be surprised by this sweet garden representation by Liesel?  Her garden is filled with the impressionistic pastels of a garden by Monet perhaps.  It says daydreamer but with a steadfast determination to be organised.  Flowers appear and disappear in this piece as if blowing in the wind.  We will hang it as a reminder of one of our favorite MO 
members that has moved on to the real world and be happy she still has a few Saturdays to spend with us...always a member of the team.

                                

 

Gai joined us this year when her youngest son shuffled off to big school!  Gai had until this point satisfied her need to be busy by doing all the craft for the school fetes, her family of four and her large extended family.  She is the first friend I had in Australia.  When I first moved here, John and I lived in Thredbo while I waited for our first baby to be born.  While under normal circumstances this might have been a fun winter, I was pregnant and it was not an ideal spot to gestate.  After one month of unbelievable boredom I turned to her in panic and said..."PLEASE, teach me how to knit".   She did and I made some nasty litte outfits for my new baby.  I owe her a lot, not only for 21 years of solid friendship but also for the start of my "craft" life. I realised watching her make things that this was the new way to sanity for me in my new life sans career and as a new mom.  I still remember the day she rang me several years later from a bookstore and said I have a book in my hands that you have to have, Patchwork, by Kaffe Fassett.  Life changing moment really.  Anyway, Gai has joined the team this year.  She is the one that you see quietly shuffling around the shop with a rotary in her hand as she cuts and packs an endless supply of bom kits.  She is the one that, although relatively new to the team, is keeping us all organised and on track.  Not one to be distracted by idle chit chat, she gently reminds me of all the things I so readily forget.  She used Bari J's raw edge approach and made a delightful vase of flowers!  You'll have to wait for this one until we can get a photo. 

Then there is Bundle.  Bundle and I have shared the office end of the business for three years since she helped me to take over the solo reigns of Material Obsession.  It was a big shock back then, being in charge and I say now with no reservation that I never could have done it without her.  Many a time I nearly gave in to self doubt and despair but she picked me up off the floor and pushed me ahead.  She is organised, intelligent, hilarious (I mean really funny) and the kind of friend you never forget because she is always there when you need her. ALWAYS...and that means a lot because I often need her.  Her vase of flowers (also Bari J inspired!) says it all.  She is the vase and we all bloom from her friendship.  I will also tell you that she nearly didn't do this project.  I had to point out to her that it was slack of her not to no matter how BUSY she was...and she is the only person besides my mom that I think is busier than me!  I didn't realise it but I influenced her in that moment.  She booked into Wendy's workshop and had this made in no time.  That is determination and that is Bundle.  Determined to get it done no matter the effort. 

 

Finally, there is my garden.  Here I am surrounded by the left over bits of my quilts and the composite of all who enter the terrain.  Machine or hand pieced, needle turn or raw edge, machine and hand quilting...contemporary, traditional or anything else...it is all there gathered by the influences of quitling friends! My quilt is full of the women of MO and the gifts they give me each day.  Working in the shop can hardly be called work.  Firstly, we have so much fun sharing the stories of our lives...kids, grand kids or no kids,  we share the secrets of pride and shame with equal relish. We have suffered the tears and laughed through the joys of this year and many others.  There have been plenty of both.  As I type this I admit I am overwhelmed at how lucky I am to live in the MO Garden Challenge.  I hope all of you have found friendships through quilting that take you to the light from the dark.  That your life is filled with colour and the gift of learning new techniques.  I wish you the promise of joy found in quilting...a past time that  entertains the mind while keeping the hand from trouble.  If you aren't there yet, come join us.  Take care and all the best...k 

while I was working...

Remember when 1,000,000 was a big number?  Has it shrunk in importance lately?  When I was a kid I used to have tremendous respect for such a big number despite a problem keeping track of zeros.  I checked the blog stats the other day and to my utter amazement I saw well over 1,000,000 visits.  Really?  I couldn't help but get stuck wondering about that number and how it crept up so quietly and in such an unassuming manner.  There is so much of life that comes as a surprise while we are busy thinking about so many other things.

For example, when did this guy get so big?  As you can see, he loved me helping him with his hair on his way to the year 12 formal a few weeks back.   

Is it also my imagination or are young ladies getting more beautiful?

Say a little prayer for this young lady today.  A few short days after thinking about things like gorgeous shoes and dresses, boys and maybe kisses, she lost her brother in a freak accident. 

Today I am mindful that we must grasp the simple pleasures of life while we have them.  Who would have thought that her life would change so dramatically and so quickly. I didn't know her brother and we just met the family but their suffering is on my mind.  The sadness is overwhelming. Thinking of this sudden loss makes it hard not to panic and hold the boys close...to not let them out of our sight.  Ironically, as a family we are fast approaching the time to let them seek their own lives. 

Formal season is now drawing to a close and summer has officially started.  Sam had the last one the other day.   When the plans were revealed we had to draw the line in the sand.   The afters were a distance away and involved buses and trains. It seems that all the fun happens before or after the formals these days. We did the hard thing and said, NO.   It was a shock for everyone but it felt right.

Perhaps it was the fresh memory of things gone wrong without a care. There should be lots more parties, formals and the rest to enjoy for him.  By the way, that geek in the background is Mr. Nosey.  Had to go into the house, had to stand in the background...had to make funny faces...didn't he!

It wouldn't be right not to formally farewell Liesel.  Sadly, Liesel has gone back to full time employment and will only be at Material Obsession one Saturday a month and of course in spirit!  We will all miss her calm sense of assurance that yes, it has been ordered, no she didn't forget it was happening TODAY, of course all the messages have been answered, the quilts prepared for quilting, the samples done up perfectly, the vacumming and the register in order, the customers are happy, the lunch is delicious....OF COURSE it is all done right because Liesel did it.  I feel a bit like a toddler taking my first awkward steps since she has represented control to me for three long years. We are grateful...

Looking for a holiday gift for a potential quilter?  We have made up cushion kits... (this is like an ad break in the soap opera of life...)
Everything needed for a summer project.  Hexagon papers, glue stick, clip, needles, instructions and your choice of pretty, contemporary or classic fabrics to make a cushion cover.  The complete kit is $45 or we have starter kits for $25.  Catch the hexagon bug or if you already have it...pass it on.  Having discovered the fun of hexagons I am looking forward to spending my down moments with a lap project this summer...who am I kidding?  Anyone? I have a list a mile long of projects for this summer!

One last thing, I had a medical procedure this week which meant I had to lie low for a few days.  Fortunately I haven't had much time lately to worry about what was!!! It was a shock when they called my name in the waiting room.  It was interesting listening the hustle bustle of the nurses in the halls.  It was strange putting all my clothes in a plastic bag.  I didn't like being rolled around on that bed.  It felt weird not to be able to initiate anything myself.  Even as I was going under I was thinking...try to stay conscious...try not to slip away...however, there was a part of me that was really enjoying the idea of being asleep for a while.   Just to give in to the lack of consciousness...to let all the responsibilities and concerns of life take care of themselves.  Of course, I didn't stay present and when I woke up in the recovery room I felt a million dollars.  It was as if I had had a cleaner come into my brain and sweep away the cobwebs.   No complaints.  I will admit that I was frightened to have the procedure but in the end it was really ok, and I got two days off work!  I have to wonder if that is the only way to stop me!

I spent yesterday in my sewing room working on projects.  This is the start of my Wagga for the Hunters Hill Show in August 2012. 

I find challenges rather difficult.  The way I work is rather impulsive so it is often hard for me to approach a set plan.  This one had to be a certain size.  I thought a lot about what a wagga meant to me and it had to be simple.  That meant keeping the palette tight and the shapes basic.  Now I need to decide how to quilt it.  It is a bit more sophisticated than intended so I will try to pull it back with the quilting...mess it up just a bit.

Anyway, these are some of the things that happen while we are working at life.  Some good, some bad, some necessary and some just fluff.  It is all an experience.  k

cyber swap day

Picture perfect weather! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So much to see, so much to do...new friends, old friends and good friends gathered on the day to swap and share ideas and things.  Thank you, to everyone that contributed to and on the day.  Much joy was had, more please...missed it? The 2012 Class schedule is up on the website now for consideration! Everyone that signs up gets a free subscription to the NEW Quilters Companion on line magazine! k

QUILT SHOWWWWWWW!!!!

 

Open your hearts and let the quilts pour in because you wil LOVE them...Not only do they send us quilts to hang with ours but they sent this gotta love it banner as well!!!  As the sparrows rise tomorrow we will hang a small but hugely gorgeous quilt show by the Material Girls amongst the sandstone and trees of our garden.  These gals make incredibly creative, wonderfully inspired, quirkier than quirky quilts with heart and soul...so much some of them aren't even finished...which makes us love the humanity of them even more.  NOt only that but we have some new quilts of our own as well as old favourites and quilts from the classes.

It is hard to believe this time tomorrow it will all be over as we are in the midst of preparations...

Last minute wool arrivals are being cut and folded... and brand new Sue Spargo ribbons are in the house!

Everything is looking so pretty.

Hot off the printing press we have Prints Charming new range at introductory special price...$18pm! (tomorrow and next week only!) Daisy Chain is perfect for those summer projects.

Bargain bundles are wrapped and priced to go!

Oh La La scrap bags $5! or pick your own from our buckets.

And over 100 bolts of fabric at $5 pm CASH, $6.5 for credit!  Yep, Spring is over and we are done cleaning up!  FABULOUS SPECIALS.

Can't come, sorry to hear it!  Just added to the mix is Jenny Burton and her antique quilt tops and don't forget:  the fabulous Frances Ergen Designs, Reece and his shot cottons, Sue Cody and her vintage wears, Saffron Craig and her top stuff...Coleen Tracy with jewels and antique homewears and Carolyn with her baby quilts and clothes. Quilts from the classes are a big hit and our new class list brochure is running through the print press and ready to go!  We have so many NEW things in the MIX next year that I can hardly wait for the holiday to be over...did I say that? Did I really!

If that isn't enough, well, I'd say you might be hard to please.  ADD to the mix the fun we have every year seeing all of you!  One more sleep...see you tomorrow I hope! Kathy and the MO TEAM of SWAP Day elves...

Busy Bee Season!

This Grandiflora Magnolia tree is one of my favourites in our yard.  The flowers burst open periodically beckoning the bees and my eyes.  As I walked past yesterday it was buzzing so loud I had a closer...but not too close look.  It was alive with very busy bees!  It reminded me of the shop as we make the final preparations for SWAP Day THIS SATURDAY!!!!!

Come along and in the words of Bari J Ackerman... Be Inspired to SEW!

We just got her lovely book in stock and it is full of fun projects to make.  In fact, it is so good we are considering making it part of our curriculum for applique classes.  The world of raw edge applique is very addicting.  It is an easy method of decorating and the ideas abound in the pages of this pretty book.

Since yesterday was the last class we did a bit finishing off odds and ends.  Marina and Suzanne got stuck into Bari's book and used some scraps to make  small garden collages. 

Not bad eh!  In another corner we had Deidre on the basting table.  She had brought in several items for SWAP Day Show and tell which made a nice collage of a different sort.
These quilts are a sneak preview of quilts to come.  In Stash to Treasure we will examine, study and disect traditional quilt elements and then use our favourite fabrics, new and old to construct new ones!!! It is my favourite theme.  What is fabulous about doing this in class is that we all see different things in quilts.  Pattern, colour and layout are all elements that play important parts in the making of successful projects and working in groups has many eyes set on the destination.

For example this quilt was originally spotted in Bold Improvisations, a book that features many quilts of the Gee's Bend style.  There are many intricate details of this quilt that Deidre painstakingly applied to recreate a captivating piece that takes us right to the soul of the original maker. 
It is a magnificent recreation for many reasons.  If making quilts inspired by antique quilts is your passion, come along for Stash to Treasure!

And no, this isn't Australia's next top model!  It is Marina showing us her new Barcelona skirt, hot off the presses (and in fact the reason she was late to class!)  She made it in the voile which means it is silky, smooth and cool for summer!

Last Saturday I popped into the shop and caught a bit of Sue Ross's class.  They are using template blocks to make some gorgeous quilts.  Grandma's Star is one of our favourites.  It is always fun to see how the shelves come to life with these blocks.  Clever use of fabric repeats draws the eye to the individual blocks.

Beebee or is that Bee Bee? comes along with Kim to class and I think is actually really interested in the goings on in the shop.  She scampers around with her little feet clicking on the floor checking everyone out or rests quietly in the corner.  Her presence makes it feel like home to me.

Kate has her Cog Wheel blocks joined together with  my favourite Marquee Stripe!  talk about a fabric that never says die, it is a great blender for colourful blocks.  The Reece Scannel Shot cottons are also working beautifully as a backdrop.  They have just enough shimmer to support the saturated colours in the blocks...and particularly with the light shinging through them.  Careful control of the colour in this quilt has meant the end result is a real beauty!

Although I don't think Sue is in to machine applique, the centre of this quilt has a similar approach to the collage effect of Bari J's style. 
It is exciting at this time of year to see all the quilts coming together.  Every class has special treats as even the hand pieced quilts are finally reaching completion stage. 
As evidence, we even got Deidre's quilt basted and ready for quilting! 

 

So, I am off to get the last minute details attended to for our big event.  It has been a big year full of wonderful people, places and things both near and far.  Next year is looking to be just as exciting as we add layers of understanding to our quilting life.  If you can't make it on Saturday and want to sign up for a class you can email us for details and we'll get the schedule up on the web next week.  Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday...until then, enjoy the buzzy season! k