Material Obsession

Colourfest

Kim has made this exciting strip quilt by mixing water mellon, ocean blue and saffron which is a great example of a tricolor quilt in the red/blue/yellow range.  Recently she counted up her quilts and came up with 26 finished quilts.  Of all of these she has only kept one.    Every week she is working on a quilt for someone that is having a baby, is a really good friend or  for a wedding. Don't you wish she was a friend of yours?  This one is ready just in time for the wedding this weekend.  Someone is going to be a very happy bride!

Rachael is another productive little lady.  She has been fastidiously putting this very effective Kaffe Fassett quilt pattern together.  Once again it is clear that simple shapes make an interesting effect.  Rachael always does a beautiful job of getting her quilts together precisely. This one is a gift for her husband and I think he'll be pretty happy when he gets to wrap this beauty around himself this winter.

There's no shortage of colour at Material Obsession as exhibited by these quilts and the rest.  However, hiding behind this quilt is the hot out of the box "A Little Bird Told Me" range.  It arrived today complete with beautiful coordinates that compliment a feature print of birds and flowers that is divine.  The line features reproduction colors that include a pink/salmon, teal blue and nice mid-tone greens.  There are lots of tiny prints, stripes and all over patterns to choose from in the range and they'll mix nicely with the rest of the bolts on the wall.  Who said we only do brights?!! Check it out, it's not just the fabric but what you do with it that counts. 
It is yet another day off in April tomorrow for Anzac Day, enjoy!  kathy

Quilt Group Review

                  

Gather round girls and have a good look! Kathie DePalo, another  MO gal brought this beauty in today.  She's a bit shy but we managed to yank it out of her hands to get a good look at the gorgeous colors, perfect piecing and general A+ composition.  It is worthy of a photo moment for the sheer joy of sharing the art.   
This is the joy of quilt group!  kathy

ReJigging...

Tokyo Rose has been one of our favorite patterns at Material Obsession. Our Carolyn just whipped it up one day and it was a winner.  She knows when she's on a roll so she did this version that features roses.

As if that's not enough she also did this version...
The other day I spied yet another version soon to be revealed which features this pattern with all the smaller squares in the same color, and of course it's Kaffe, her favorite flavor. 
It shows to go ya a few fun facts that include:
1. There's absolutely nothing wrong with squares as they are always interesting.
2. ReJigging  fabrics and the same pattern can mean the world of difference.
3. When it's not broken, don't fix it.
Keep your eyes peeled for the next version of Tokyo Rose or make your own version in Japanese fabrics like the original or in any grouping of your stash.
Also... hot sellers tip of the day includes the latest product arrival of chalk filled pencils with a fine point for marking quilting lines!!!!! Very exciting.  There was much excitement about them in the shop today.  They are $20 each and come in black or white. 
And, finally it's obvious that cute two year old girls are a lot more interesting than army clad 14 year old boys!  Sarah and I have five boys between us and not a speck of pink in our lives...or at least mine which is definitely more focused on skateboarders in the kitchen than pom poms and dolls.  However, I managed to get a bit of a girl fix when I convinced a friend & her daughter to make a quilt, or at least I gave them some direction and sent them on their way.  I'll keep you posted on their progress.  kathy

Before and After...

Usually the Before an After photos at Material Obsession have a creative theme.  This one is a theme of a different color (camouflage) and rather what happened to a soon to be 14 year old boy. He started like this... looking not too happy early one morning last week carrying the bare essentials for his six days of camping and trekking somewhere "outback". 
Lucky for him there was not too much rain, the weather stayed comfortable and he didn't get blisters anywhere as big as the ones he got last year.  I freak out every time he puts that uniform on and whispered in his ear if they mentioned Afghanistan to run for the hills but he loves the adventure so what's a mom to do?  Anyway, six nights of sleeping in a hammock, eating beans and noodles and the day after a 3:00am picket posting this is the result...

We managed to get him up for a bit of dinner and then straight back to the lounge for a bit more dribble time.  Hope he's rested for his birthday tomorrow!
Today was my first day back at work and if he wasn't on the couch maybe I would be!  maybe a quilt story tomorrow night...sweet dreams happy camper! kathy

Resurrection

Easter and all it's chocolate wrappings and egg hunts have passed.  However,  today we received a gorgeous package of treats in the mail from my lovely mom who never misses a trick despite the distance.  My boys have been spoiled every holiday with a sampling of treats from the States complete with holiday entertainment, t-shirts and decorations.  Yes, perhaps a bit too late for the PAAS egg dying kit (until next year if I can find it...)but not too late for jelly bean and chocolate munching... YUMMY.
With resurrection on my mind I broke my promise to not start any new projects.  With the boys off at camp, visiting friends and the Easter Show I finally got a day alone.  With Triple J blaring on the radio, I whispered "be still" to my fluttering heart as I stepped up to the mat and let the rotary cutter have it's way with my stash. 
The second quilt I ever made (14 years ago) was a Spider Web design and it is currently in a bad state of yuk.
I have always wanted to remake it so armed with a few new choice bits I finally made some headway.  After a full day of sewing (I actually made dinner last night so got a few extra hours in!!!) I have this to show for the day and I am pretty sure it's an improvement on the my original...

I love all the bits and pieces, the secondary patterns that appear and noted with pleasure that I was actually using up more of my favorite fabrics.  More than a few times I thought back to Judy's colour workshop the other day as I worked the contrast. This project can stay on the wall for a while until I get another blissful day to make the adjustments it needs and to do five more blocks.  Being the queen of busy means strip piecing is right up my alley. 
There were a few moments of questioning why this was the project that won the day and not the three cot quilts I need to make or the quilt that needs to be finished for the quilt show or those other deadlines but holidays are for making simple choices, resurrecting the precious things on hold and joyfully just going with the flow.   It's amazing how a day that started with yoga and held 10 hours of sewing was just what the doctor ordered!  Enjoy your choices. kathy

Colour Me Judy Hooworth

Yesterday Material Obsession hosted a Color Workshop led by the Colourific Judy Hooworth.  For those of you that may not be familiar, Judy is one of Australia's leading quilt artists.  She has made a strong statement with her use of colour over the years, authored several books you probably have in your stash and been honored with lots of prizes for her work here and overseas. 
Yesterday she led a small but captivated group of gals through the colour wheel and the value scale.
Judy knows her stuff and she knows how to talk about it so that everyone gets something out of her class.   Listening to Judy we learned it's not a mystery but rather it's about choices we make that are quite personal. Everyone likes different things.  For example, Judy likes to work in red, blue and yellow groups where I like the green, purple, orange side of things.

There are some guidelines that make choosing a colour scheme just a bit easier.  Knowing these guidelines solves some problems, gives us confidence and above all leads us into the world of quilts that sing loudly, or softly but in key.  Thanks to Judy we all had a great day.
If you are interested in taking one of her workshops let us know and look out later this year for her latest book! 
Have a great holiday weekend.  I know there are a few gals with their heads full of ideas about how to rearrange their stashes....kathy!