Progress report

I have often heard the expression, "red sky at morning, sailors take warning," but have never seen one quite like this one today!

It's an ominous, spooky feeling and although the wind is blowing it's not too hard yet and it isn't cold or wet but one can't help but wonder what the day will  bring. 

On Saturday, speaking of surprises, I was presented with this quilt at the end of  my presentation.  It has been made by some of the Novocastrian Quilters.  When I opened it, the lovely ladies that made it and know me well yelled out, "DOUBLE SHOT Coffee!".  Yes, I am now known for the way I take my coffee which is very strong! It was a thrill to think they had made this for me and will surely always bring a smile when I see it!

Judy started this quilt in last months TOTS class primarily to use up some of her stash with a few stash stimulator fabrics.  It represents a new spring palette which, also surprisingly has a bit of peach accented by aqua and plum.  Peachy pink was never my color but I have to say that I love it now as a value down from my current love of orange which may be where that comes from.  It often happens that adding that current fabric into the  mix turns out interesting results.

Despite our hand sewing only weekend away, Kate has made great progress getting this quilt together.  The blocks all balance really well and that sashing fabric...absolutely perfect for tying the whole quilt up.  Kate played with corners and borders all day but it won't be long before this stunner is done.

Going the extra mile here, Lindy declared that she is finishing UFO projects and then presented this finished quilt.  A few weeks back it was already finished but after a bit of discussion Lindy decided that since she still had fabric to make it bigger anshe would and here is the result.  Using the wedge shape she was able to carry the angle of the fans out into the border making it look intended.

Lindy also brought this finished top in which was started in the Kaffe Fassett workshop two years ago! We have seen more than a few of these Snowballs come back recently.  Two years must be a good time for revisiting unfinished projects and seeing them in a new light. I am drawn to this one like a favorite memory of country living.

This is also one of Lindy's finished projects.  It has an organic feel of a different kind with strong, color rich graphics complimented by a bit of soft colorlessness!  Having declared that she was on a finish projects run, Lindy picked up a new tool, Drunkard's Path template and started a new project stating the whole time, "I am just playing!"  

The thing about playing here is that when you use a template to cut out the shapes it is easy to play around with different settings.  They'll all fit together when sewn so it is a great way to reveal a new design.

The day turned into the night class after a short coffee nap!  Anne is a relatively new quilter having come for her first lesson only last year.  She brought in her Sue Ross BOM 2 last night and impressed us all with her skill.  Every point perfect! I have to say I was most impressed by her efforts and obvious progress over the last year. 

Then she brought out her two projects that have grown from her participation in the Dolly Quilt program.  First the Log Cabin ruler from Kaffe Log Cabin in July turned into this...

and then Tanglewood in April turned into this beautiful quilt made with Liberty fabrics. It was all oohs and ahhs for Anne last night who I am afraid can no longer be thought of as the new quilter in the group.  Quietly and with an unassuming nature, Anne has turned into a beautiful quilter shrouded in modesty about her work which speaks for itself.

We welcomed Kate back last night from her travels to Russia, Germany, Iceland and the USA. It was fun to hear a bit about the trip and to show her what we have been up to since she left over two months ago.  Last night was an unusual evening.  Aside from the excitement of Kate's return we all spent the night quilting.   Regularly we gather and the noise level is high, the chat non stop and the variety of activities vast.  I will leave you with some images over the shoulder last night and hope that the sailors warning is not as predicted..

...and a progress report on the sky...

any sailors out there, beware. kathy
ps just went out for the trip to the train station and found the car coated in a fine red dust that must have blown in over night.  Mystery solved.

Comments

[Kate Williams]

I am always thrilled by your posts with pictures of your classes. A high degree of envy of being able to work in a group setting. Can't wait to be able to return to Oz and be part of a group. Quilting is so much a collaborative experience. Being a lone quilter in Hong Kong gets a little lonely. Photos of sky are a little scary.

[wishes, true and kind]

Holy Guacamole! My comcast homepage had this headline this morning:
Sydney Dust Storm Causes Havoc:
Australia's worst dust storm in 70 years blanketed the heavily populated east coast in a cloud of red.
The article said no one was hurt -- hope that's true.

Thanks for all the quilty goodness. Is that a piece of two-layer chocolate cake I see hiding amongst the cups of double shot coffee?

[pamela]

I have a dear friend who lives in Australia and you two remind me of each other. She posted pictures of the storm that hit on her personal blog as well. The pictures are gorgeous and a little daunting!!