Material Obsession

Formal Perspective....

Here's my rugby player all dressed up for the dance...ok, FORMAL, it's called and I stand corrected many times.  (old dog, new tricks..)  I loved that he let me play with his tie and shirt options which was always a favorite past time of mine with my dad.  He let me talk to him about important elements of a successful date like make eye contact, keep the conversation going....etc.  His response was "mom, I've been at this living thing a while now..."  but he smiled when he said it.  Anyway, we all gathered at a friend's house for pre-formal photos...
Aren't they gorgeous!!!
Can't you just feel the sheer anticipation of something about to happen?  Is there romance in the air or just perfume and cologne  ...Perhaps it was this crazy photographer who HAD to get in the pool for the best group photo angle...

After they all drove off in we went to our second son's AFL game.  The dads all stood around talking about the "wonder" of formals.  Why do these events exist?  Why do they want to spend all that money on suits and flowers?  Isn't one year 12 formal enough...blah, blah, blah.  I listened and then exclaimed, "The formals are for the moms!"  This is the moment we get to enjoy.  After hundreds of  hours of cricket and rugby and athletics and the rest...this is our fantasy moment!  It takes us back to the days of dancing at Homecoming and Fraternity weekends themed to Stairway to Heaven, and electric rollers, strapless bras...to dress shopping and makeup...to high heels and gorgeous clingy dresses and coming down the stairs to a boy in a light blue tuxedo...  and maybe even a few stolen kisses...(that wouldn't be happening last night!!!) The dads stood there with their hands in the pockets shuffling their toes. 
To prove my point of difference here were the moms snapping photos, laughing and bursting with pride.

Let's just hope they all had a lovely time...

Now, onto a different thrill.  Design walls are my favorite theme these days. I have completely covered all the wall space in my sewing area with wadding for this purpose. By doing this I can slap up my work as it is made.  It then allows me to step back from the intricate piecing to see how a quilt is progressing. What can look stunning in our hands may have a completely different effect from afar. In the photo below you can easily see that the seven blocks I have been painstakingly hand piecing are not coming together with a sense of a balance.  They are beautiful on their own but the careful fabric choices and relationships aren't obvious from a far.  This is not a tragedy but rather an opportunity to keep working to get it right.  An element of designing (and living) is to believe it will all work out.

At this point I grabbed an element from another project we are working on that uses hexagons as sort of a log cabin block.  What if these blocks get framed with something darker to bring out the contrast elements in each block?

I had purchased a large amount of this plaid fabric at the same time I got some of the fabrics in the blocks but wasn't sure what I'd ever do with it.  It was just sitting there in the pile but somehow managed to jump out.  It works perfectly to activate the contrast in each of the different blocks while adding unity at the same time.  So, I surrounded all of them to this effect.

I like the way that's working now and will spend a bit of time at our Material Obsession retreat working on the next borders between the blocks. 
To make a design wall all you need is wadding.  We are now often recommending that you get your wadding as soon a your quilt starts to go together, particularly if you are working in a class where you need to transport your work.  This can now be rolled up and taken anywhere and the bits will all stay in place.  Super!
So if only we had design walls for everything in life.  A little perspective from a distance could save us (me) a lot of stress.  How timely is this thought as all our gorgeous bits of fabric, handy little tools and favorite t-shirts are packed up in anticipation.  If I were to look closely at life at the moment there would be a million details that prohibited this re-TREAT.  However, it occurred to me  that all those little details are exactly why we are going...for a bit of perspective.
Can't wait to see everyone up there for laughs and projects.  Have a great weekend. Kathy

APEC Hours

This quilt reminds me of Sydney this week. "Gridlock"  a Kaffe pattern from Patchwork, back in 2000. 

Material Obsession is OPEN today and tomorrow.  Despite the rooftop snipers all over the city, five miles of fencing, concrete blocks, police barriers and helicopters, road blocks, mass evacuations for the weekend and transportation interruptions we have decided to be STRONG. I don't know about you, but I can't tell if these security measures are making me feel safe or afraid. ( particularly since the Chaser Boys...always making us laugh at ourselves which is TERRIFYING!)  Each morning this week, as I kissed my boys goodbye at the train station I wondered for just a second if it would be the last time I'd see them. How sad is that?  Is that living in the face of terrorism or just being a Steven King thinking mom?  I am sorry to politic here but I have to admit I am finding this APEC meeting confronting and confusing.  Are we afraid of terrorists or protesters? Free thinkers or those that simply think differently or, even scarier, the people inside the fences making decisions about our future.   Every time I see them shaking hands a strange and scary sense of foreboding comes over me.  What are they deciding behind those fences and are they thinking of our children's futures? A mother can only pray they are.  I'd like to hear a bit more about the issues and a bit less about the fences.
So, if you are looking for something pretty to sink into...our doors (and minds) are open.

Have a great long weekend hopefully full of beautiful things. kathy

Quilting Sisters

Last week we had nice visit from Sarah and Phoebe. Sarah has moved to Perth  so it is a special treat to get to share this quilt with her in person. For show and tell she brought in this beauty of a quilt that her sisters made for her.    These girls have a nice flair and share their creative spirit despite the distance. Quilting with each other often makes us feel like sisters but isn't it nice when sisters feel like quilting for each other. 

Here's a close up of the blocks which are paper pieced and then appliqued onto the background. Nice!

Sheena's been busy too.  While her husband was over watching the footy in New Zealand she left the odd sock on the floor and set up the sewing machine in the  middle of the house, turned on the music and got to it... She has set these vintage blocks together with new borders to make this quick cot quilt.


This second one has a vintage block in the center that sets the palette for the rest of the quilt.  How Tweet!
It'd be a nice idea for a wedding quilt as well with the something borrowed, something blue, something old, something new story all in one item...but would the bride have to wear it down the isle?
Now, I am off to quilting today having spent the day yesterday at the Athletics Carnival which was fun and rewarding for my running man Sam.  Hope that adds a bit of inspirational motivation to your day! all the best, kathy

Ready, Set, Go

Ladies start your quilting engines.... the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair starts tomorrow morning at Darling Harbour at 9am sharp! (If you're early, they provide line dancing while you wait!)

We spent the day in our spunky orange safety vests setting up our booth all ready for the onslaught. We started with an empty shell and a tree.....

and worked hard all day, adding and adding and adding......

Until, after some coffees, a few moves of things and a bucket of hot chips for good measure, we were done.  And we're all ready for you! We're pretty proud of the kits, don't they look nice this year?

So there you have it. Everything is boxed and pinned and priced and wrapped and stacked and prettied up. We've tucked it all up for the night so it gets a good night sleep ready for a huge day tomorrow. Curtains down on us too, we are TIRED and unless we get our beauty sleep, no-one will like what they see in that lovely booth tomorrow! That's all folks.....

Block Party

When I was a kid growing up in Cleveland, Ohio we used to have block parties on our street in the summer.  Someone would block off the traffic, set up tables and for one night we could run up and down the street playing games with our friends to the sounds and smells of laughter and bbq's.  I think once someone even brought in a PONY for us to ride on but mostly I remember my mom's bean salad and a feeling that something easy was happening...something where everyone was having fun while sharing an evening under the stars together in the neighborhood.
I feel like that at the moment.  We are preparing for The Quilt and Craft Show at Darling Harbor next week so if you have stopped in the shop expecting to find solace, compassion and helpful gals eager to play I hope you weren't disappointed.  Instead you may have found a couple of gals with their eyes popping out living on the edge of a frantic breakdown because every party needs to be organized.  We have been cutting and packing kits galore and making a HUGE mess in our pretty little shop. (Pay back is "you know what" since we had so much fun with "you know who"!!!)  Suffice to say the excitement grows as the day nears for seeing all the glorious 350 quilts at the show and then slipping out to explore all the new stuff on display in the booths!!!
Now, that was too much without photos for me.  Last Monday Michelle showed us this very special Sue Spargo (another Ohio girl!!) treat that she did in the class with Sarah.  What a fabulous version it is...well done.  Look out for the three new Sue Spargo Quilt book patterns for you at the show!
We have also seen some of the results of the Kaffe (oh my, I just had to mention that again didn't I...)workshop.  It was no surprise that Elizabeth was the first one back in with a top finished!  It is a beauty and now she is off putting on her borders and the willful surprise backing she picked which ads just the right amount of fling...

There have been a few others but I have to search and find the photos..duh, human failing... but keep bringing them in as I am sure everyone wants to see them.
Now, back to block party theme...I was reading Erica Spink's letter to the editor yesterday in the new edition of Down Under about the quilting community and the bringing together of like minded souls.  This is my ultimate favorite quilting theme which is supported by this photo:
We were thrilled when this quilt arrived in the shop yesterday.  Some of you may recognize the block that we "discovered" recently and both raced off to make.  Well this gal brought in her quilt that she made 12 years ago.  (I missed her name being hip deep in fabric bolts and mess, sorry, but I know she is from Eastwood Quilters)   She saw our blocks on the blog and had to share!!!  That's what it's all about girls!  Thanks heaps for bringing in that gorgeous quilt and telling us its story!!! We love that the blog opens us up to a two way street!
Here are my three finished blocks...on hold at the moment...
Block parties have new meaning now.  Since finding this little beauty and the delightful activity of hand piecing, I have also tried a few others.  This next block I sewed to my finger while traveling to the antique shop for quilt viewing with Kaffe (did it again), Sarah and Florence (Bonjour Miss Nightingale...we miss you!)   Ok, maybe the background is a bit busy...

And for another special treat at the quilt show...we found these fabulous sets of rulers made up with a block pattern in the package.  We got all four sets and set out to make up the blocks which may or may not get done.  However, if you are looking for a hand piecing project for sideline activities or just for relaxation, ask us about these ruler sets.  We have limited supply so get in early as they are FUN!!!! 

And last but not least, I still love the Marti Michelle ruler sets.  This one is the Sunburst and although it has a lot of pieces it can be rotary cut like those above.  Thing is, with a common background these kits allow you to play with fabric combinations (shown below with Katie Jump Rope from Denyse Schmidt) without a huge commitment and are great for the stash...and equally great for the newest ranges.
So, I should be sleeping in today but visions of bikes with streamers wound through the spokes, midriff tops partnered with cut off jeans, ghosts stories told in the dark and sneaking back outside wearing pajamas  woke me up.  The spirit of the neighborhood is still out there and it's just as colorful and exciting as it was 40 years ago!  Thanks for sharing and all the best, kathy

And the fun goes on...

Phew.  We all woke in Sydney to the sound of the downpouring rain.  After 10 months of planning the Kaffe Fassett lecture/slide show without more than one dribble of rain, today the skies opened and dropped buckets on our roofs and clogged the streets with cars and the sidewalks with umbrellas. 
The weather didn't stop the 200 strong who came to be wowed by the master of pattern and design.  From the sounds of the cheerful chatter in the Hunters Hill Town Hall after the captivating talk I think everyone had a great time. 

Kaffe spotted this top bag and we all considered dashing off to make it...instead we had some lunch and a relaxing afternoon.
It was great to see so many friends at the hall today soaking up the offerings.  Many autographs were signed and memorable photos taken...here's one for Bronwyn...
Then, as if the last two days of Kaffe and Brandon weren't enough, tonight we had the immense pleasure of an invitation to Kim Mclean's house to see some of her award winning quilts. Kim is amazing...check out these divine quilts that have a real reproduction flavour done in now WOW Kaffe fabrics.
What doesn't show in this photo is the detail of the fabric placement so I got a bit closer.

and then there was more to see.
We all had a close look at the perfect handwork and attention to detail. Kim reproduces quilts from days gone from her own drafted patterns.  They aren't available outside her class at the moment, sorry girls.

This one had lots of movement and lovely evocative applique around the edges. 

We'd like to thank Kim for allowing us into her lovely home to see these most successful and endearing quilts. 
So the world is filled with all kinds of marvelous things to see, do, think, be and marvel at.  Here's hoping life is color-FULL!! all the best, kathy

Storing Images

Ok, just because I don't have a sewing machine handy doesn't mean I can't dream.  Here is the next strip quilt but when I layed it out I decided it had to be bigger.  Those gaps of white are disturbing but will be filled in with colored bits...whenever.  Trouble with this stored image is that I am now looking, thinking, dreaming...of what's next and worrying that this may back burner.  It takes discipline to stay focused and with so much visual stimulation I doubt my resolve. And then, there's always that missing sewing machine to take the blame.
Anyway, this week was full to brimming with excitement, planning and nice surprises from our gals. 
Wendy made this in my Tuesday night group.  She revealed on her last night and we all thought she did a super job.  It had applique and piecing so she tried some rulers and left with a few.  Hope to see you again Wendy!

Bundle is off to the UK to see family but before she goes and in her mad fashion she is whipping up a few cot quilts.  This quilt uses that cowboy retro fabric and in this design.  I think she bought it one day and came in with it finished the next!

and one more Kaffe quilt since hardly a moment goes by without thinking about the upcoming workshop and lecture with Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably, uh, have I mentioned this before?
And last but not least another wonderful and quirky sample of Sheena's quilts with vintage tops...a growing theme at material obsession.



have a great weekend!  I am off for the next 11 hours of soccer and footy with the dog and a little bit of patchwork stashed in my bag which I never pull out but is stored there for safe thinking.  all the best, kathy

Unsupervised Gardening

Like most of you, I love color and design.  Funny though, unlike a lot of you, I am not drawn toward baking and I am not allowed in the garden unsupervised.  It's been a long standing joke in our family since an unfortunate weeding incident that I'm not going to mention.  Anyway, last week a box of fabric called Peas and Carrots arrived in the shop.  Finally a vegetable I could play with outside the kitchen!  I had a day off so I turned up the music and sat down to sew at 9:00am.  At 12:30 I stopped to make a phone call, brew a coffee and ate my lunch standing in the kitchen before returning to the sewing machine five minutes later for another three hours.  I just couldn't resist the cut and chop and sew with the new bits fresh off the shelf.  End result with the help of the Wedge Ruler we love...
I guess the uncontrollable urge was the result of so much hand piecing this year with my Antibellum Bling which is also finished for our quilt show in June...
That really slowed me down as did the Pickle Dish which is going to get finished as soon as I get off this computer as I only have the top and bottom borders to go and then Voila!.

And if you are still sitting here I'd like to make a recommendation on a book that we are loving at the moment.
It's full of quilts we are freaking over.  It's a challenge to control the urge to dash home and make a block to start one of the quilts so we didn't.  Both Sarah and I started the same quilt in equal moments of weakness since we don't have any impending deadlines with Kaffe and Darling Harbor LOOMING over our heads.  We'll keep you posted if and when these quilts happen!
Our Sheena is the resident provider of Antique Quilt blocks.  She recently got a camera with this result...
Vintage quilt blocks reset with delightful results. So, there's so many seeds to plant and watch grow in the  fabric garden of delight.  Happy fabric munching...kathy

Patience...

I've never been a patient person.  I want it. I want it all and I want it now!  I just can't wait. I have been working on this "problem" most of my life.  It always cracks me up when I hear people say they aren't quilters because they don't have any patience. HA!  Just look at me.  Every minute I have designated for a long wait is now a time for my fingers to get busy.  It's been a life saver.
Over the summer holidays there were lots of stolen moments that ended up as the beginning of projects.  Once back to work and school schedules started up the time to complete these projects just evaporated.  Tomorrow I am doing a demo at quilt group using the Kaleido Ruler by Marti Michelle which prompted me to review the teaching materials and the half started projects that I'll be using as samples. In the materials I  found a great border and after a bit of quick maths I realized there was miraculously! just enough of my precious American Folk Art Fabric to finish this quilt...

Here's where the patience part fits into the story.  If I had given into the excitement of the quilt and rushed to put on the border I may have called it quits after the first border, which by the way is a divine fabric from the Amy Butler Lotus collection!!!!  Instead I hung in there, waited till I had time and pieced the border and the corner squares to finish it properly like this...
I can't say enough about how great a good set of rulers can be.  Everything fit perfectly together in this quilt and it was easy to figure out how much fabric I would need.  We have these tools at our finger tips and they really are fun to use.  I bet if you looked, you'd have a dusty old ruler somewhere that you could get out right now...if not, come and see us in the shop and we'll get you sorted. If you, like me, like quick and accurate results, this is a great option.  time's up.  gotta dash.  things to do. k

Seeking Order

Ok.  So the secret is out that I don't have nimble fingers! And while I am revealing...creative minds (if I may be so bold as to say I have one) are often not heavy on order which can be a worry.  In addition to applique this year I have started a bit of hand piecing.  In a very tidy fashion I cut out and identified all of the tiny pieces for the Pickle Dish block above and proceeded to happily sew them all together... in the wrong order. 
It was frustrating to say the least as I like things fast and I hate wasting time.  But then, in a Working Woman moment, the incorrectly patched pieces and the contact paper were sitting in the same spot and Kaboom!  Order was found. 
Since everyone has been so appreciative and nice about the applique circle tips from yesterday here's another one.  (sorry, I only have two!)
Cut out all the pieces for the block and lay them on the sticky side of the contact paper face up.

When the main pieces are all down it's easy to audition the alternating fabric and if you get some lucky advice from quilting friends like I did yesterday at quilt group, you can change the fabric options until they are right.

When the pieces are all together just slide the non sticky paper back on top and you have a handy little portable project!  (Great for cricket or swimming lessons or quilt group.)
To sew, simply lift the pieces off in order and sew them together.  It's still possible to sew them back to front or upside down but I am working on that with a bit of concentration!
Possible hazards...elbows, bits of thread and scraps can also stick to the contact paper!
And for balance, here are a couple of photos I found on my camera this morning...

Sam, the one that fancies himself a professional bmx rider...

and Noah wearing his special black jeans to skate down the road.  Moral of the story...when we were kids we tried all kinds of stuff that looked challenging.  Now off you go to find the trickiest most challenging block, one you thought you could never make with either applique circles or small hand piecing and have a go!  Let us know how you go!  kathy