Material Obsession

Gifts you don't unwrap!

There are a lot of rewarding things about having a patchwork shop.  One is that it is such a lovely place to spend the day. Another is the arrival of boxes, like Christmas presents, full of wonderful surprises that I have picked out myself!!!  No returns necessary, this stuff is just what we want! For example, Jane Sassaman!  Colorful and full of life...great for piecing large patterns, dynamic borders, pull together stripes or fancy placement prints to fussy cut!

This Prairie Gothic line arrived this week and it is flying out the door as if on the wings of insects.  Jane explained in Melbourne earlier this year that her fabric is like the ying and yang of life.  There is beauty in the garden but there are also dangers...just like life.  

Another favorite designer group is Alexander Henry.  Usually I order heaps of this and because we are small and far away they don't always send us everything we order.  However I (WE) got lucky with this one...

OH BABY OH BABY OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  Cut that and take it home RIGHT NOW!  I have this hanging on my design wall and just can't wait for a bit of cut and sew!  YUMMY.  I think that this kind of pattern with the glorious bird and the branches growing across the panel reminds me of my grandmother's elegant house when I was young.  So much of what we like seems linked to memories.  Like those ultra funky golf shorts in about 1972 for this next one!

A not so elegant but really fun.  I don't do pretty very well and this pastel piece with a little black speaks to me as something that could start a great fun project off on the right scale.

Things get a little crazy around the shop when a lot of fabric comes in at once and poor Sheena was nearly buried alive by the stack of bolts.  It is easy to loose concentration when surrounded by so much possibility and we still, despite being immersed in it all get so distracted.  

The other gratifying thing about the shop is being surrounded by women pushing their creative boundaries and supplying all of us with eyelisous stuff to review.  In the Designer's Circle class on Wednesday we spent a lot of time at the beginning of the class looking at all the work that is being produced.  Here's a bit of a sample.  Robyn  brought her Freda quilt in ready for the final borders.  We looked a few options and Robyn decided on a tiny red inner border and then the whacky swirly border for the outer border.  

Never be first in show and tell because once that was decided it was hard not to jump in and get it all cut. It was Robin's birthday which was fun as we had some nice morning tea and a bit of a party feeling to the class!

Vicki had started this quilt the last time and decided on the sashing strips and then found the powerful border that really ties it all together beautifully.  We had a good look at those pieced borders as well as they marry the outside border to the inside sashing really well.

Vicki has also finished her version of Brigitte Giblin's Levin's Hall.  English paper pieced and glorious this one is for Vicki's son's birthday.  Quilts for son's was a bit of a theme on Wednesday as Melissa was also doing one.

Melissa has been away (sadly off in the US of A traveling, shopping and touring around having fun!) for a while but she has gotten the borders for this quilt together and the only thing left to do was pick the cornerstones.  I think the little chappy is gonna like it!  Lively colors and a touch of super jungle style graphics.  (and how nice of Melissa to wear such a colorful dress to class!)

In all the excitement I missed photographing the Japanese fabric version of Stash Eater that Rhonda is doing and the window like treatment that Trish is doing.  We got all caught up out in the shop picking a marrying fabric for setting Deborah's big stars...

After reviewing lots of options Deborah chose this lively print which looks like it will give this quilt just the right bit of a color splash.  It's fun to experiment with a lot of options.  This one has every color from every block and a bit of life of it's own.  An Anna Maria fabric was another option considered and re-considered until Deb made up her mind about what she liked the best.

It will be exciting to see it all come together with the rest of the quilts in class.  Each one individual, each one a personal expression.  And speaking of personal expression...Julianne has delivered a few colorful personalities disguised as dolls to the shop.  Two colorful gals walked in and out with their alter egos in their hands!

These handsome dolls are hand made and available in the shop in a couple of sizes.  Irresistible!  Vicki thought they needed a tag that said, "I WANT that fabric NOW!" but I think she said it instead for herself!!  Lots of laughs, lots of color and lots of fun lots of gifts to pick and choose from.  Looking forward to the weekend and Sue Ross's class for more exciting "work" and vicarious thrills.  Enjoy. kathy

Sweet dreams of strips and sashing

Some days things just click.  Susan came to class on Monday and wanted to make a quilt using the new and super gorgeous flannels.  We sat down and drew up a quick star made with half square triangles. Then Amanda came in and put this up on the wall as something she was working on.  It was EXACTLY the pattern we had just drawn up only smaller.     How great does this star look!  The cabbage fabric in the middle in real life almost jumps out of the star.  

Amanda had prepared some strips which are used here in the border to great effect set against the dark red from the star points.  The richness of the red makes the colors of the star just jump.  

Ok, imagine you are in the room here...we have the start of the enlarged 1/2 Square triangle star with a plaid centre and the start of Moira's DinoZag, one of our new and most fun patterns.  These giant zig zags are a quick fantastic result and a great way to display the latest and greatest favorite fabrics...or your favorite ones from your stash.  

Here we have more strips Moira has sewn together AND THEN cut into and cross cut to make stems.  Moira is making little birds and a variety of different blocks to add to this. There is something pleasing about dull greys and steel with ochre and plum.  Yum.

Strip piecing and sashing is a bit of a theme a the moment.  We have been doing a lot of string or strip piecing in the classes.  Further to that, last month the DVD with Quitler's Companion featured Judy Hooworth talking about using color.  Part of the dvd was about how she effectively uses sashing to create secondary patterns that make her quilts very special.  It was fascinating viewing and has inspired me to consider sashing more often. 

I needed something light and mindless to ease my mind last weekend so I turned up the music, got these bits and pieces of stored up stuff out of the many boxes and bags and put it all together.  It is now in one piece and has served as a study in one hundred colors plus black and white.  We talk a lot about Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran and their book Collaborative Quilting.   It is a great place to look when you want to jump in and get something done...when life is just, well, interupted.

As the old saying goes...sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't!  When you don't it's a great opportunity to do a hand pieced quilt, one we fondly refer to as a slow burner. Take one tiny template, cut out over 70 pieces per block and stand back for a good look.   Lindy has been hand piecing these blocks for a long time.  She recently selected the setting fabric, a design and got to work getting the top together.  

This is a most pleasing result!  The stars are really well balanced, the setting fabric sets them off in splendor and the use of the red points is very nice point of continuity so there is a bit of order, but not too much. 

Once that mission was accomplished we checked out some borders for Judy.  Fortunately, Jane Sassaman is now in the house!!! ( and selling fast!)  They are creepy and they're crawly but don't they look exciting here as a border for this quilt!

Then add a little electric blue...

Judy was originally going to piece triangles for this border but decided she wasn't really interested in the piecing.  Ok, I push a little bit but this is her quilt so we started looking at dynamic options instead of piecing a border.  After only a few suggestions Judy chose this border which didn't BUG me at all!!! hahahaha, dad joke there.

Now Laurel has been working on these little beauties.  The blocks are coming together beautifully and since it was sashing day we tried a bit of strip scrap as an idea for her for the sashing.  Amazing how glorious a lot of color is between these fresh blocks.  When too much color is never enough!

We all have them, lots of bits and pieces and particularly when we are cutting lots of colors for blocks.  Keep them sorted by warm or cool and pull them out when you need a quick fix.  Looking forward to seeing what Laurel does next with these blocks.

Sometimes, working out the sashing can take a few experimental examples...Sashing is again the theme to see what we can work out here. Kate has made these stars that really shimmer with color.  She has set them with some handy Anna Maria Horner.  This was the first example.  Then we threw in Brandon Mably's dynamic piece and decided that the warmth of the oranges would work nicely sewn in here.

It's been an exciting week full of thrills and squeals of delight as we use the design wall to bring people's ideas to life before our eyes.  And last night, only minutes before I dropped my tired head onto a pillow, Kate got her blocks up on the wall.  Now really, can you imagine the dreams I had last night after these spectacular projects all day!??  Sweet dreams to all of you.. kathy.  

Frantic but FUN!

It's that crazy time of year again as we busily prepare for the Quilt Show are Darling Harbor.  It is all systems go with final adjustments to patterns and kits!  Lots of new stuff including the nicest of flannels with two popular patterns to choose from!
Big kits, little kits, specially chosen fabric delights...tools of the trade and the rest all getting packed up and ready to go to quilt show land. It's the time of year when you come to the shop and I can't string a sentence together without darting out of the room to finish one of the bazillion things I have started.  I apologize for being distracted...it's my over excited nature!  Lucky for me there are so many wonderful women working in the shop at the moment.  They have held me together, each in their own way over the last few months and particularly last week.  It's like falling into a foam pit going into the shop!
I sometimes wonder what life would be like not being able to walk into such a colorful place every day.  John says it is the best job for me as I can chat all day! Talking, telling stories and imagining gorgeous quilts being made every day. HA!  Easy for him to say...but as per usual he is right.  And what a pity for the rain that has canceled sport today.  I do love the rugby and soccer Saturdays but a day off at the moment is a blessing.

 I may even get to something on the design wall at home...lots of bits and pieces started here.  I just keep rearranging them until they fall into place.  American Folkart, Mexican Folkart...a bit of music...its all happening. 

Just for fun (take a deep breath ladies!!)  I have to share this photo that Kim McLean sent me .  It's her new quilt and our favorite designer...both stunning!   

AND...at quilting the other day Jenny showed me her Playground Days from book two.  First quilt finished from the book!  Jenny made a few changes in the pattern which is EXACTLY the point!!! She made four patches for the border in stead of nine and Dresden Plate flowers instead of the Sunburst block for the corners!  Keep on sharing the inspiration Jenny!
Enjoy the day! k

Thank you...

Yesterday I was driving in the car listening to a song I love.  Usually that means I sing along, loudly.  I realized the desire to sing comes from  a place of happiness  that I couldn't feel.  Then I thought of all the kind comments, phone calls, emails, hugs, flowers and messages that I have received over the past few days.  The collective spirit of friends and in some cases strangers lives and brought a sense of comfort and relief.  Thank you all for your healing thoughts and for helping me turn the memory of my beautiful dog into a good feeling.
Perhaps this little gem is not what you would expect from us.  Divine in the simple, perfect construction and balance of muted colors.  The purple highlight sets it off.  Deidre has mastered this Amish idea, and others if you remember the courthouse steps in black an orange or these... and this one too
The sun from the window has washed out the intensity of this stunner. I look at these and can only recall conversations in the cafeteria at school about what was better...curly hair or straight hair.  It was the case that everyone wanted what they didn't have.  In my case here I'd like the resolve, the restraint, the control to do something with perfect simple lines.  Instead...I make a mess of impulsive moves and combinations.
Julianne is also using her stash to make this "out of this world" little quilt!  The rocket and astronaut are very cute.  What young boy wouldn't love this! The stars on the side are from Michele's Rocket Man quilt but don't they look great as a border?
Julianne also made these dolls. Each doll is an enlarged image of the tiny ones in the green fabric.  They are just gorgeous.
We look forward to seeing this quilt finished and discussed lots of sashing options...sashing being one of our favorite themes at the moment.
And then there is this...Sheena has worked out these huge circles and foundation pieced them to sit on this vintage background.  Just loving this scrappy foundation pieced treasure and looking forward to seeing the next step here too!
Cath brought in her Sue Spargo piece and the proposed border.  The scrappy foundation border...or is it sashing for a bigger quilt?... really enhances the colorful work of the flowers.  These continue to bring oohs and ahhs to our lips as we see them come in nearing completion. 
Cath is the master of mini.  How wonderbar is this!!!!!!  This tulip shape is one that never wearies our minds.  The simple shape done any way imaginable always looks good.

Cheryl brought this in to show us the work complete. It was done at Cottage Quiltworks in a Sue Spargo Quilt workshop.  I can't get over what the border does for it.  Perfect colors for framing the applique.  Sharing the creative spirit is a joyful thing.  It wipes away the shadows and inspires us to move forward.  Each idea takes on the spirit of the maker and presents an individual interpretation.  I am fascinated by this collective spirit that allows us to be one and a group at the same time...hmm. time for reflective thinking.  I heard Lior, a Bondi singer/songwriter interviewed the other day.  He said that after a long period of touring he was planning a date with his creativity.  I like that idea and am going to make a date in my calendar for  four weeks from Sunday.  Thanks again for all your kind words, I hear them in my heart. k

Rest in Peace

Duke, our gorgeous dog died in my arms this morning, leaving a gaping hole in our family and great sadness where nothing but love used to live. 
It is hard not to think about the years of seasons we have spent together walking the streets, parks and paths of our neighborhood... the time spent sitting in the back yard with him thinking through life's drama...finding him nestled in bed with one of the boys, sitting on John's lap or the soft sense of him at my feet every night with at least one paw on my quilt. He was my constant companion and my most forgiving friend.  He had a happy, simple life with no regrets.  A dog's life really. Rest in peace our dear lost friend. kathy   

Dollies, socks and flowers

 

Slow burners...those projects that brew and develop while life happens all around us.  How fun is it to find a whole bunch of blocks are done, one seam at a time.  It is mindless and vastly entertaining at the same time.  Michelle brought these to the dolly class last month wondering how to lay them out.  The options are endless but once again, aided by the handy design wall she sort of decided on this layout which presents the fun opportunity for filling in the white space either with something grand...or not.  We will see what happens...in time.

Susan brought her version of the Ode to Susan McCord dolly quilt all made up into a knitting bag! 

This one got a very special treatment and was machine quilted which I have to say adds terrific texture. 

After a bit of show and tell and discussion about last month's quilt we were promptly onto this month and heaps of progress was made.  These wedge ruler rows are a handy trick for borders, sashing or used big could make a great looking quilt.

Michelle is smiling because she got her whole top done in class!  See, you don't have to have a dolly to love these quick projects. I am particularly happy to see these gals bringing in projects using techniques they have acquired.  Building a skill base means you don't have to feel guilty not doing the laundry...too much fun stuff to try out!
On a completely different note, Lyndsay from Cut Loose has brought in a basket of fabulous hand knit socks.!  I was lucky enough to get a pair of these for a birthday two winters ago and I have to say I couldn't live without them anymore.  Warm as toast and comfy enough to sleep in they keep my chilly toes warm every night!  They are $50 and selling fast.

They come in little sock monkey sizes as well and brightly colored so they are easy to find in a hurry!

The Hunters Hill raffle quilt is coming along as well.  We have all the flowers in place now and will baste it to get the quilting done soon.  Maree brought in her version of Garden Party done on a background of her husband's shirts.  It looks FANTASTIC!
Have a look at the quilting.  She cross hatched most of the background but made space for big organic shaped leaves.  The colors are bursting off the background and each flower needs to be picked for the special vase display...

It is a real garden of delight and a great way to use up scraps of colorful fabrics!

Last week we welcomed Susan Powell and her lovely husband Tom to the shop.  They had a few strong coffees while browsing as they had literally just stepped off the plane, dropped bags at a hotel and come straight to us!  Way to travel in style! We spent the morning looking at quilts and fabrics and then headed off to Hunters Hill Quilters.  Tom was a great sport!  He chatted amongst the ladies and not once did he appear bored while we loaded Susan up with fabric and MO 1 & 2 for reading on the rest of her trip.  After an exciting morning they headed off to the ferry.  Blue skies prevailed that day and as they set off I imagined what could only be a lovely trip across the harbor.  Enjoy your visit and thanks for popping into the shop!
Still more quilty photos to come for your viewing but now it's time to make breakfast!  Get that day rolling and see what we can see!!! Enjoy, kathy

Pushing boundaries...

Schzammmmmm!!! This star jumps into your head and is set on the most fun fabric... Debbie made this in the Designers Circle class and it is huge as well as delightfully adventurous. It is great fun to see these super traditional patterns done in contemporary colors. It can take a brave heart and some hand holding to get there but well worth the effort!
We've been watch Frida grow for months now and I hear that the sashing is now in place.  It's a quilt that tells a story and looks good at the same time.  Robin has put a lot of personality into this quilt which is one of my favorite themes these days.  Make it yours!
Deborah's stars are coming along now too.  She started with some stash fabrics and a loosely defined direction but things are coming together now and a few ideas have been cemented.  Spots for points, semi solid backgrounds, focus fabrics for centers.  As soon as a direction is identified a new one appears...like what happens if we put this red patterned fabric for a background?  Oh, yeah, that works too.
We are on a bit of roll with zig zags at the momentt.  Sue started this a while ago and may have considered it to be finished but it is now getting a giant zig zag border as well!  Wow how great those lines are!  I love this pattern. No zig zags here...Vicki is working circles on circles...on dots!  The vibrant colors work beautifully and the shapes accent the graphics on the flowers really nicely.  It will be fun to see the next step of this one too!

And now for a different twist on Stash Eater!  Try it in Japanese...oh yeah, it works! 
Sheena brought in her Sue Spargo piece and I think it looks fantastic framed like this!  Gives it a real sense of development with Sheena's usual flair.
The detail is wonderful.  These tops are coming in all the time.  My camera is so full of stuff that it just died yesterday so there is more to come from the Arcadian Quilters Show at Swanes last weekend and more...more...more.  kathy

Stretching...the imagination

I get a lot of inspiration from my yoga teacher. He's not your typical yoga teacher in that we don't have funky cushions or equipment, music or incense.  We just work our way through the hour and every once in a while he says something magic that takes my mind to another place.  This week it was, "today we are looking forward to going where we haven't gone before."  This concept fascinates me.  Push on, go further, question where we are, be strong and have faith.  Believe you can do it.

Yvonne came to us wanting to change her color world so she joined the Thinking Outside the Square class. Yvonne picked up the Marti Michelle Kaleido-ruler and put this quilt together with only a little help.  I won't lie, there were a few moments of doubt along the way but I think if there is a moment when we question where we are going or what we are doing...that is the moment of opportunity to grow.  That is the moment to focus and push through the pain.  The blocks were easy but when it came to how we set this quilt there was tension.  I have to try not to share the panic in these situations and to go steady.  In truth it was no drama since  the stripe sashing is fantastic and the cool side set corners are perfect.  Exercise...actualised.

Now Judy, in the same class has also pushed out of her quasi-reproduction box.  You may remember we used the magic black and white spot to pull these colorful blocks together a la Gwen & Freddy.  Ok.  Looks great.  Stop here or go on and do a fab border???? Push on into the big stretch I say!  So, Judy got her 60 degree ruler back out, grabbed the scraps and started cutting.
This dynamic angular border will give this quilt a huge point of difference.  We can't wait to see the results. 

Here is another example of the magic black and white spot.  How fantastic is Michelle's quilt with that sashing???!!! It just ties it all together and lets the colors stand alone beautifully.  Yahoo.  Downward facing dog...done!

Now, Kim...she works furiously on several projects at a time and then, voila! we see some finished. This is a version of Sheena's Banana Split which is just divine.  Those stripes hit a dynamic stretch of the imagination and the border is just the right amount of sweet.  Kim's next finished project is this that she did with a pack of fabric she won last year.  Pretty cute too.
It's handy to have a few tops done for when you need one for a cot quilt.  This could easily go boy or girl. And as if that series of poses wasn't enough for Kimmy she has also gotten her Gypsy Kisses to the back (bend) ing stage! 
This little beauty has been brewing in the back of the room for a while.  Her bright choice of colors proves that this pattern looks great no matter how it is done up.  Sadly, Kim stretched a bit too far in this exercies and now refers to it as panadol #1, the quilt she couldn't finish quickly.  Ahhh, the benefits of holding the stretch for maximum impact!
Check this out!  Now take a deep breath and hold it!  These gorgeous little packets hold the joys of template piecing using a rotary cutter!  No longer can you pass them by without being drawn into the cuteness of these tools and the realization that they make the job easier.  Erica did up the labels which helps so much for us to see the elusive end results!!!!  I jump for joy when I see these little packets!  We are getting so grown up at MO now!  Daisy Days is my favorite one!
If I ever get a chance to make a quilt again, this one is on my list.  I have several blocks sewn together and am working on the border/sashing treatment (in my dreams) but I am wondering when I can live vicariously through someone else making this block!
I have a ton more photo fun but...BUT...today we go out into the world to watch rugby!!! To pace the sidelines hoping against hope for a good result and no injuries.  Following that we watch soccer which is a relief in comparison in some ways and then, wait for it...YAH! more RUGBY!  I actually am looking forward to resting my weary brain while watching brutes in action.  It's so primitive and a place I will never go myself.
So, despite admiting I have a barrier, I suggest this weekend you sneak some mind stretching time and see if you can go somewhere new with scraps or borders or tools.  And Enjoy it. kathy

Friends & family

When does a picture not tell a story?  This one chock full of story for me.  Cheryl and I shared many, many laughs while working at SWATCH Watch and living in the East Village of NYC back in the wild (weren't they wild for everyone!) days of the 1980's...Could it be so long ago?  We worked closely with some very talented designers in those days and I have always credited that experience with turning on my eyes.  So now, to get this photo of my friend standing with Kaffe and Brandon and the Material Obsession book...well...1000 words.
Cheryl did her workshop at The Cotton Patch in SF and here is her quilt, Cheryl has also chosen on of my favorite fabrics (I love the green bamboo) for the border of her quilt. Get Sewing Cheryl and thanks for sending the first step of memory lane.
I got another photo from home this past week.   That dapper guy, third from the left was my dad, Russ Gowland at Miami University in Ohio.  My mom and dad have a sweet life story having met in high school when my dad was a basketball star. Mom was "Miss all Around Girl 1956" and a cheerleader.  They, like everyone, have had their ups and downs in life but they have stayed happy.  I love thinking of them still sharing everything and walking down the beach together daily.  I often see my dad at the age he was in the photo when I look at Oscar. Oscar has amazingly inherited the stance, the casual hand in the pocket, he sense of humor, and the confident nature of my dad despite living on the other side of the world.  How does that happen?
One of my favorite mom stories was one she told of singing and dancing the night away on the tables at a party one night. Funny the things they say that stick.  Haley, my niece might have inherited that trait.  Quiet and shy by nature, this chick is turning into a rocker!

She and her twin brother Connor, the drummer for the band, have recently won studio time in a band play off near Dunstable, MA.  My brother Chris, her dad, has always loved music and set up a sound studio in his basement many years ago where the kids have learned to sing and make music.  He has always played in bands, sung himself and thrown incredibly FUN parties...but I think he has handed the microphone over to Haley.  Save this photo because one day she will be a huge star!  Rock and Roll must run in our bones, although not according to my kids who have one rule around here...NO SINGING MOM!

Rusty, my brother, has become a rocker too!  Here's his band playing at the Whiskey somewhere in MD.  Living the dream!  Rusty wore a suit and worked hard all his young life.  He was a hard working student at high school and University and went on to forge a successful career.  Then one day, at 45 he retired to live the good life.  He coaches his kids' sport teams and with Liz, his wife, stays super (I mean super!) fit and has taken singing, guitar, and violin lessons just for fun.  It's a dog's life!!!
Dog featured in photo, Wags, Sheena's pup living the dream at Bawley Point!  Talk about a picture telling a story...and here are some quilt photos...the ones you have scanned the page for...
I really liked these two quilts at the Eastwood Quilters Show hanging together as they compliment each other so nicely.  This quilt uses Anna Maria's Bohemia range which is one of my all time favorite collections of fabric.
This one rang a bell as I made a version of this quilt once too from Kaffe's book Patchwork, when it really all started to come together!  Round and round we go...out of time, boys yelling in the kitchen about long showers...tgif. kathy

Photo Log Jam

Ok,it's 5am and I just had to get up to release the log jam of photos stored in my camera at the moment.  We have great works in progress to see and finished quilts from the show and more so sit back relax, and enjoy...
Moira is in the process of making Stripping Vines (Material Obsession book one).  It is a quilt inspired by a fabric love so great it had to be used in long strips.  This glorious red floral is perfect as an inspiration fabric for this quilt as there are so many lovely colors in it to pull from.  Moira has said that the process of making each block was a joy.  This is something to think about.  Not all blocks have to be tricky or complex to be beautiful  Simple repetition of a block with a variety of fabrics is surprisingly effective.
We have been working with the concept of side set squares a lot lately.  Popular fact: blocks look better on point. Kerrin has had more than her share of sadness lately.  It is heartwarming to see this result of hours spent bedside in a hospital of late. These little dolls are embellished and surrounded by her loving stitches!  And just wait because there's more to come here.
The layering and embellishing is a carry over from Sue Spargo's workshop.  More evidence of her incredible input will come out later. 

This is certainly a pattern we have seen in the shop before!  However, Amanda has personalized it with the medallion and the fabulous fussy cut border!  The large roses are the perfect size to match the snowball blocks as they peek out from the corner stones!  Amazing Amanda!
Flannel fever has struck Material Obsession!  At the Eastwood show I got more than a few comments about our new range..."I thought you said you would NEVER stock flannel!" They would exclaim.  Well, things change.  This stuff is heaven on a bolt to play with.  Applique has never been easier and in the cooling temperatures it has provided enough subtle warmth to make me happy.  This quilt is by Wendy Williams, our Friday workshop teacher.  We'll be kitting it up with the birdie quilt for the quilt show in June! 

It's rugby season again which means it's time to hold my breath until they walk off the field alive and well.  Oscar has suffered a minor injury that requires physio so in the tug of war that is sharing the car and our busy schedules the car, I ended up with the short end and stood waiting on the streets of Mosman for two hours the other night for him to finish his treatment.  What to do? Why take pictures of funky men in windows.  What was the designer of this guy thinking????  1970's throw back or what!  Funny thing is that while I stood there on a mild night I thought...this forced down time is good for me so I just looked in the windows and sat on public benches and tried to rest my weary head.  HA! As if.

And since I know that too many quilt shots is never enough...here is Robyn's quilt from the Eastwood show.  She won first prize in the art quilt category and our Material Obsession book two as a prize which is fun!  The show had a very traditional flavor which was lovely to see.  I'll just drop in some shots today before dashing off to work...Congratulations to all of the quilters that had quilts in the show. Here are just a few...
Absolutely love this sashing treatment!!!
And the Best in Show winner is...ta da...Dale Ritson for this starry quilt.  Talk about sashing!  Very dynamic not to mention the fussy cut treatment in the stars... .
Maureen told  me she had wanted to buy an antique quilt that looked like this but made it instead.  When she was telling me the story I thought it WAS the antique quilt as it is a perfect representation of one.Very engaging!
I always love anything using this giraffe!  I love the story of it being led on foot from Africa to France. It is fun to imagine what the people along the road would have thought at such a strange creature...and loving Gai's quilt.
No matter how you photograph this one (on it's side perhaps!) it is a Sunburst BEAUTY.  I love this block and the colors really work here.
We have sat with Jill in the Monday workshop over the last month while she finished this challenge quilt for the show.  It looked gorgeous hanging in the show at last, well done Jill!

Anyone recognize this star pattern?  It looks spectacular no matter what color combinations you might choose to make it and you can with the pattern in book two for Erica's Honesty.  Templates are available at Material Obsession if you need a slow burner project for this winter!
Here's something we might recognize!!Debra finished her quilt from the Kaffe Fassett workshop for the show.  A brave choice for this particular show.  The colors in this quilt work beautifully to great the illusion of an afternoon in the garden...even an historical homestead garden!

That's it for now.  I have nearly burst with the pressure of holding back all these images.  There are more but I think your coffee  (like mine this morning) is probably getting cold.  There  are, after all, things other than looking at photos of quilterie to be done today!!!!  Admit it, you too have laundry piled somewhere...maybe a few dishes on the bench...lunches to be made...oh dear.  guilt. guilt. guilt to spoil such an adventure...Enjoy.  Kathy