Material Obsession

Celebrate!!!

Ever wonder how a fabric collection comes together?  FreeSpirit Fabrics has just released my latest range, Celebrate!  They asked me to talk about the design process and inspiration. 

You know me right?!   I am Kathy Doughty, an American living in Australia and an obsessive quilter since my first stitch.   So great is my passion that in 2003 I opened Material Obsession, a patchwork shop that is a treasure trove of dynamic, colorful fabrics curated to create a new mix for all quilters.  My motivation is to stimulate the imagination of quilters with quilt designs and techniques that have a familiar idea with a point of difference.  Designing fabric for Free Spirit is a natural extension of this approach !

Here is the beginning of Celebrate!  Hard for me to believe that a simple drawing like this could end up as a fabric range but it did!

One afternoon I was sketching with a fabric range in mind.  Ideas come from everywhere but this day my mind was full of stash treasures that my customers were mixing with contemporary fabrics for applique and Broderie Perse in our classes.  At Material Obsession  we have always had fabulous teachers.  The likes of Sue Cody, Marg George and Brigitte Giblin have always encouraged using a variety of fabric styles to bring to life a personal approach to quilting.  I have often watched as the women in the class reveal their special fabric finds and noted that it was often a collection of a variety of remnants that included home dec, upholstery and antique chintz fabrics.  I noted that the cherished fabrics often had exotic animals like giraffes and camels…monkeys and elephants.….what if  these animals were party favours sitting in a jug instead of flowers????  Celebrate, my latest collection is all about that twist…and maybe a bit of shout!

Party Favours is the feature print.  The decorative pots and characters can be cut from the borders and used in a feature block.   I like the structure of traditional quilts and am always looking for prints that can hold space with interest in a quilt.  It is also possible to isolate the characters for fussy cutting in pieced quilts or into large hexagons.  It’s a versatile print that can also be cut beautifully into dynamic directional sashing strips.  This particular print would also be darling for curtains in a child’s room!

Once I had my party favors the idea of a party celebration was on fire!

It started with the invited characters that make a gathering interesting.  But before the guests arrive we need to decorate so…. Setting the table with a colorful floral table cloth makes for a festive event. In Australia we often plan our parties outside in the garden so we always want good weather!  Weather Permitting is a vibrant floral print that hopes for good weather but if it rains, we’ll just put up a pretty umbrella!  This is a fun print for cutting large or small.  It has enough energy to be used as a palette starter, for alternate blocks or borders.

It is also perfect for a shirt…for that special guy Dave the DJ!

Party Land was a nod to a tropical theme.  Palm trees, pineapples (the flavour of the month!) and beach huts are images that bring good times to mind!  Again the print has features for random or fussy cutting.

For the last few years party banners have been popular so I thought they would make an interesting graphic print with a variety of lines and patterns.  These three prints are an interesting option for block spacers or even applique backgrounds.

To top off any party a bit of fizzy bubbly doesn’t go astray so Bubbles were added in three colours for backgrounds and light.  The happy colors and that intense acid yellow make this print right on trend.

 

When I design a fabric range and am deciding on the colors I am always thinking about my customers and quilting friends.  I tend to group them in three categories, which are:

Pretty – for those that like comfortable, low contrast prints that are in a word, pretty. Here we have a nice warm yellow, soft light grey and some nice shades of pink and aqua with a bit of teal for interest!

 Traditional – those of you that love reproduction style prints and colors this one is for you to capture a bit of brightness but still blend in with reproduction fabrics. 

Contemporary –for those  of you (and Wendy Williams!!!) that like to combine the bright colors. Purple, aqua with a hint of orange and red...Go bold or go home!!!

No matter what kind of color combinations you like to use the palette for Celebrate will work into the mix as a high or low light.  Use it together or mix it in with other collections you are using. 

I am also loving how it sits with the other designers we have in store now!

For example, this shot has them mixed with some handy Denyse Schmidt prints from Stonington. 

We have put our heads together and designed several patterns for the range which are available on our website

or this one by Wendy Williams called Pick of the Bunch!

Although quilts are my main focus it was fun to make up these carry all bags using Celebrate!





Party, party, party….we can dream of a party land filled with colorful flowers and treats!  This collection considers not only where but how we decorate to celebrate any occasion.  Banners, good weather and a sense of irreverence dominate the scene but don’t forget the bubbles!!!  I hope you enjoy Celebrate and find your own ideas on how to use it.  Be sure to share with me what you do!

 

It is so much fun to be able to celebrate the release of  Celebrate! with all of you now!

If you want to see how we use it follow me:

instagram @matobsgirl, on my blog

blog mailto:http://www.materialobsession.typepad.com/

website: mailto:http://www.materialobsession.com.au/

 

Or join me in person as I travel and teach in the USA this July.  Check the website for tour date details and lets get together!!!

Paper Piecing

Its times like these when we need to bunker down and think hard about what is important in life.  I sat down with my hand work the other night and watched West Side Story...one of my all time favourite movies.  It isn't a good one for hand piecing as I love the choreography, the styling and the characters in this timeless tale.  It was interesting to note how the ideas presented in the movie both reflected back to the romance of Romeo and Juliet but also were brought forward in the art forms of the likes of Michael Jackson.  The dance scene with the Jets belied the origins of Beat It.  Now we see the struggle alive in our politics.  The moral is see with our heart, speak from our heart and be from our heart...art can show us the way.

When I need to de-stress I turn to hand work.  The meditative process of moving my hands to my thoughts is rejuvenating and I am addicted.  I caught up with the energetic team at Paper Pieces last market in Houston.  They have such great energy and are all about connecting projects with people.  I am happy to say that they now sell my book, Mixing Quilt Elements and not only that they have made up packs of papers to make three of the projects in my book!!!!  I am thrilled to have their support.  

The first pack is for Hope Hammock.  This is a special quilt to me and the timing is pretty good as I now pass my four year mark for breast cancer.  I started this quilt the day I was diagnosed.  It gave me hope and peace while going through treatment and is a constant reminder of how much support I got from quilters at the time.

 

This one is made with 1 1/4" hexagons and has a great star shape you'll love to make.

The second one they are featuring is New Star.  I made this one while traveling.  To prepare I selected all the fabrics and made up the hexagons.  They were all clipped together so that I could just pull them out and sew in the car, the hotel or on the plane.

It looks like there is a lot going on but each section is a moment in time.  I machine pieced the border with all the leftovers...a common theme.   If you want to control it more simply use the same color or value in the same spot in each diamond.

The third project they have made kits for is Octagon Baby. 
This quilt was a celebration of modern solid fabrics.  I string pieced all the leftovers to do the crazy zig zag border.  Its a great baby quilt but also interesting graphically to hang on the wall.  Its hand quilted with perle 8 just inside the seam allowance.

These projects are all suitable for novice paper pieces.  They are among my first projects done with papers so if you haven't ventured into the paper pieces wave they are all good and easy.

Follow Jess from Paper Pieces on @stitches_be_crazy to see what else they have on offer. 

Busy fingers...happy life! 

 

Gallery Exhibition

I had the pleasure of learning from Bob James last year.  We talked often about how quilts are often seen as domestic craft and not a real art form.  His dream was to take our work from the class and get it into a gallery showing.  We never believed it would happen but it has.  We got the call in December to finish up our art work and get it ready to hang!

"As a Quilter we see patterns in everything doors, buildings, floor tiles and in my case, I even recall pausing the TV, while watching Game Of Thrones, to take a picture of the stain glass star window in the grand hall! So why not a painting or photograph?" says Bob James! 

Last year twenty quilters attended classes at Material Obsession, Drummoyne and My Sewing Supplies, Kirrawee for 10 months doing a course entitled  “Abstraction - Colour and Design in Art Quilts” using a text by Rolina van Vliet, “Painting Abstracts”, edited by Search Press, for their inspiration.

Their final works are 1x1 metre abstract quilts, based on a painting from the book. These 20 quilts will be exhibited at Hazelhurst in February 2017. As well, there will be 9 quilts from Robyn Eves’ group of “ Whispers II”, where an original photograph inspires the first quilter and subsequent quilters take their inspiration from the previous quilter. At the end, it is interesting to see where the process has journeyed.

Broadhurst Gallery
Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & Arts Centre
782 Kingsway Gymea.
February 11-21, 2017

Hope to see as many quilters as possible support fellow quilters and, perhaps, stop for coffee or lunch in the excellent cafe on site.



Rolina van Vliet has kindly allowed her images to be used.  The quilt shown is taken from one of the images in the book.

 

Come along and meet the makers this Saturday from 1pm.   See you there! k

Translating Abstract Art into Quilts

Its that time of year when we turn our eyes to the new season in the shop.  It is also a time to reflect on the holidays and the gifts they bring.  I have enjoyed the opportunity to wake when I want and movie slowly through the favorite spaces I call home. 

My first activity is to always clean my studio space.  The tidying up process always reveals the secret stashes of ideas and materials I have gathered and buried.  The fresh, open spaces of a tidy work space allay the confusion of creative ideas.  So: Lesson #1 is always make space to see clearly

I found that I needed to work aimlessly.  Throughout the year time is spent on the demanding issues of responsible life.  "I have to do" this before that is a daily thinking ritual.  Making space mentally to move freely helps a lot to feeling creative. It literally took 10 days to stop feeling pressure to tick things off my list.  Abandoning the list completely for a short time opened up my brain.   So: Lesson #2 is make time to hear yourself think. 

At the end of a day, when you look back at what happened it is important to accept what was humanly possible to achieve.  My yoga instructor the other day mentioned that, "Non acceptance = suffering."  I nearly fell off my mat with that thought in mind.  It makes so much sense.  So:  Lesson #3 is to accept what is for what is and try not to want to change it...just for happiness.  This is a hard one but I'll try.

 

 I also learned a few things while sewing in my studio.  Last year we had a class taught by Bob James called Quilts as Art. I did the class...or maybe just audited the class because I was traveling so much.  He threatened to organize an exhibition of quilts made by the people in the classes and then miraculously did organize a show.  It was a bit of a shock when at the start of the holidays he announced that our projects would hang at the Hazelhurst Regional Art Gallery near Wollongong in February and our quilts were due Feb 1!  Sheer panic ensued as challenges are challenging and I was looking to rest from challenges.

 

The challenge was to recreate one of Rolina Van Vliet's paintings with textiles considering the principles of art that we had studied with Bob.  He selected one of her paintings for each of us.  Mine was a study of lines from nature and I'll admit most likely one of the easier projects. 

The first step was to consider what was in the painting.  Immediately I selected fabric to substitute for the colours of the paint.  My discipline is allowing for the challenge presented by print fabrics so I allowed for that in my selection. 

Using print adds an element of surprise.  What I liked is that the print softens the lines where the fabrics meet and the variation in color with the prints allows for flashes of light among the shadows.  Where solids are easily understood and do exactly what you want them to do without question, print makes you think just a bit harder to achieve a specific result. 

The focus of this particular painting was the line.  I wanted long vertical lines that were interrupted by the shadows. To achieve the feeling of lines I ripped the fabrics into strips.  Ripping seemed to soften the lines but add the challenge of raw edges.  I started at the back and then layered the strips.  Then used long vertical lines to hold the strips in place while quilting.
I enjoyed this project.  It was fun to have an objective for thinking through the questions of creating.  I tried a new technique for me which was to do a facing finish.  It was so much fun and I love the neat turned over edges of the quilt which worked perfectly for this style of quilt.  I even made the label by printing the painting photo onto fabric which for me is a big effort! 

So, lesson #4:  Challenges are good things.  They keep the mind active and give us fun projects to work on.  I learned a lot doing this project. 

Check out this project and others at the exhibition:

The Rolina Project Exhibition – Translating Abstract Art into Quilts
Inspired by the work of abstract artist Rolina Van Vliet
Hazelhurst Broadhurst Gallery
782 the Kingsway Gymea
Ph 85365700
February 10-22, 2017 Opening of exhibition Feb 11 at 2pm with special guest Lorena Uriate
Gallery hours 10am – 5pm daily. 11-21 February 2017 and have a look at the exhibition. 

Enjoy...k

Lists

Lists aren't just for Santa Clause.  We all need them to function.  I have been avoiding all lists except for the one I keep going for my vote in the JJJ Hottest 100 or 2016.  I keep making that one, loosing it and starting it again but at least now I am remembering the songs I want to acknowledge when I start the new list!

For the last few weeks I have let all work related lists rest and am only now allowing myself to start writing them again.  Dentist, vet, Dr...new line introduction, challenge quilt, articles for this and that and finish the projects I started over the holidays all play important roles now. It feels good to have control of my energy again.

We've just posted a list of some of my USA teaching dates for 2017.  I'll be posting more information soon but if you are a fan and you live on the east coast...I'm on my way!  I'll be at Quilting by the Lake in July for starters. If you have never been to this event have a look.  I'll be teaching from Mixing Quilt Elements

The first two days will be Into the Woods
This is a fun imaginary walk in the woods.  I have enjoyed teaching this workshop in several places as it always brings out the inner child in us.  Finding the characters and bringing them to life among the trees is always joyful. 

The next three days will be Modern Wedge with a focus on Love Birds.  This is also a fun workshop where the imagination rules.  Use my pattern or create your own applique for the big blocks.  We will explore the wedges, applique and hexagons with this project.

The shop opens today with summer hours from 10-3.  We are there equally for the browsers and purpose driven.  Need to see what is available?  Need a needle?  Need a pretty space or just want any of those things and the doors are open. 

 

If you haven't  had a look at our  classroom schedule  you can find it on our website. Although many of the classes filled in December there are a few spots scattered throughout.  If there is one thing I can say about our classes is that they are jam packed with good instruction, happy teachers and creativity.  We live to get you started as well as finished with your projects.  We added a new class with Wendy Williams on Thursdays and the new beginner class with Megan Manwarring on Saturdays. 

What's New you ask?  Well we are jumping up and down to be the first to offer classes with Rachael Daisy  She is a bright spot on the horizon and we are sure her classses are going to be a hit.  Her clever use of fabric, techniques and well, just plain happiness is a magnet to me and the team as well. 

Prize winning quilts are only a bonus...the ideas, the depth of talent and the charming personality round out the picture.  Join us if you can to take your quilts on a trip to happy land. We have a few spots in Rachael's Tuesday class.

I am also returning to teaching in the shop this year.  I'll be there on the second Sunday of the month.  The theme is about working with shapes but the real idea is working with fabric.  You can make any quilt from any of my books or design your own. 

 

I have missed the blog over the last year.  Instagram is a fun quick way to stay in touch but I really like to share more details so my new year resolution is to stay more in touch and maybe even get some videos up!  Tick...that's one thing off the list...on to the rest!

Enjoy!  k

Promises

New Years Day...my favourite of all the year for the clean slate of new promises that rises within me.  I've been sitting and staring down the driveway and just realized we haven't left the house for three days.  Its been enough to move slowly through the spaces of our home enjoying the simple things...cricket, sewing, a new puzzle, a movie and a book.  These simple things bring breath and space back to my mind.  Every year its the same, we slam into summer and the holiday season with such force that it seems relaxation will never arrive.  But it has.

My promise for the new year is to myself.  Being in my studio for the past few days has reminded me that my spirit belongs to the process of making.  The rest will happen but letting the creative energy move from my heart to my hands is an energizing life force.  It starts with a state of total confusion.  In an attempt to find order I usually rearrange everything in my studio and make clean spaces.  That lasts for about 5 minutes.
The next step is to do a pull of all the fabrics I have been aching to use and to see how they look together.  This was my promise of joy for the holidays!  In it are a few peaks at my next range which appropriately for this time of year is called Celebrate!  I am loving how it sits in with my favorite designers from Kaffe and Brandon to Natalie Barnes from Beyond the Reef Patterns.

Once I have the stack I stare at the majestic mix of textures, scales, values and colors.  How will these prints be best used?  How can each print take on a space of its own?  How do they balance and enforce each other??? That all remains to be seen at this point but the mere fact that they are stacked makes me fingers itch.

During the hectic movement of the year the sound of inspiration gets muddled to a dull roar.  While I wait to be able to hear my ideas formulate it helps to slip into the meditative state of quilting.  The rhythm of the random stitches releases my mind from the plans that so often over rule my creative voice.  Doubt, insecurity, fear all speak louder and the result is that it becomes so much easier to focus on the LIST of things to do as it has a start, a middle and an end.  The creative motivation takes time to be heard and understood.  It isn't magic.  It takes consideration.  But when the stars align with time and space it is perfect living.

I found this needlepoint in my clean up.  It was originally an opp shop find covered with a bouquet of roses.  I had just designed my Wandering Mind range and drew the bird image from the fabric collection over the roses.  Then Kaffe came to town.  He picked it up and started the background filler design which makes it beautiful.  I did curse those small squares a few times but in the end the repetitive pattern makes the image so beautiful! Its been a few years in the making but finishing it was easy.  I am enjoying just looking at it for now

 

Luckily, just after closing on our last day of business a package arrived of  The Outback Wife by Gertrude Made

This collection is a game changer and will be arriving in shop soon.  I was thinking of the country roads that intersect the outback properties of the outback and just started cutting.  The spirit of this range is deep and meaningful.  We'll be mixing it with other linens and making packs as soon as it arrives so stay tuned!

So when I have a stack of fabrics that I am keen to mix together I always look for a template or shape.  This year I am teaching a new class called taking shape that is all about focusing on the shapes we can make so that our minds are free to really work the fabric.  These are four blocks that I am making with a fun new template that we just got in stock.  Fat Robin Mariner's Compass templates have fantastic instructions that make these blocks fun and easy to put together.

And one for the road...Courthouse Steps inspired by an antique quilt in Unconventional & Unexpected by Roderick Kiracofe.  This was a dream...Just loved the flow of piecing it and am now working on borders.

So,  goodbye to 2016 and hello to 2017.  Lets hope the road to the future is filled with creative juices blended to perfection.  I have to say I hated the fireworks that reminded me of bombs and guns.  Wouldn't it be nice to ring in the new year with gentle wishes for kindness and peace! 

Take care, listen to your spirit and enjoy the processes that make life worth living!

SWAP & SALE Night

Better late than never...this year we decided to do our annual SWAP day as a SWAP NIGHT! Sounds cooler!   Next Tuesday 13 December we will be open until 9pm with bubbles and specials throughout the store and all classes will be open for sign ups. 

Big Announcement....drum roll please...Whizz Bang and Beyond is coming to MO in our new classes with Rachael Daisy!!!

 
Yep, its true!!! The remarkable, award winning quilter Rachael Daisy will be joining us for classes in 2017!  We are thrilled to be making this announcement and to be offering her unique style of innovative quilt style to our program this year.  Rachael is the proud owner of Best in Show at the 2016 Quilt NSW show and also Modern Quilt Show Australia 2015 and 2016...what a line up of ribbons.
Not only does she do jaw dropping work but  Rachael's sparkling personality and flair with fabrics and techniques this is going to be an exciting opportunity.  We'll have the second Tuesday and fourth Friday of each month with Rachael from 10-1pm.

 

And also new on the list... I am teaching one Sunday per month.  I'll be introducing my Taking Shapes Workshops here in the shop on a nice quiet day so I can focus on the participants.  We'll use the design walls and templates to explore design possibilities and concepts of using fabric.

So, what else have we got in store for you now???? Our much appreciated regulars, Wendy Williams, Megan Manwaring, and Grace Widders our wonderful in house teachers, will be returning with a vibrant schedule of ideas for applique, wool and piecing.  These classes have been turning out some excellent work.  Marg George, Sue Cody and Lorena Uriarte will also be carrying forward.  From fussy cutting to modern flair we have it all on offer.

Check out the website now for more details for all the classes here!

I am always equally proud and grateful at this time of year.  Our classes have been full of energy, creativity and fun all year and it is wonderful to watch participants re-enroll.  Its always fun to pop downstairs to see what is on the design walls at the start of each class.  Lessons and developing projects offer excellent eye candy!  We have offered spaces to those currently here first but have made room for more across the board.

So come along on Tuesday evening for a bargain, a class sign up and a glass of bubbly...

Tuesday 13 December afternoon until 9pm.

 

Enjoy,k

 

 

 

 

 

focus...Carolyn Friedlander

For me, confusion reigns.  My mind is cluttered with thoughts rushing past and changing directions all the time.  I frustrate my friends and family by deciding on one thing then suddenly changing it.  Examples include furniture, times schedules, whats for dinner and in my quilts it means there is always a lot going on and the end rarely reflects the beginning.  This past weekend with Carolyn Friedlander in town I noted with interest and admiration the clean lines of focus.  As John said after her talk on Friday night, "its harder than it looks to do simple so well." 

By simple I don't mean easy or thoughtless.  What I mean is clean, beautiful line that begs attention for its directness and intent.   Carolyn's quilts capture the eye and rest it on a well told story.  Some done in a variety of colors showed how the lines stand the test of change and still read as lines of merit.

In class Carolyn commands more attention than her stature might imply.  I found her to be a power house of tips and concepts that were graspable.  The evidence was in the work at the end of the day.  Due to the fact that it is time consuming and slow the participants might have only walked away with a small block but the look on their faces at having accomplished something was pure delight.  Eyes were shining with pride at the results and by the end of Friday there were rows of gorgeous blocks!

We chose the Shirts pattern for Friday because, well being MO we needed the option of color and pattern for our dye hard enthusiasts and the results were full of the personality we expect and proving there is room on the piece of string that is quilting for all!

Watching Carolyn work made me want to join in with the group.  Unlike my usual bull at a gate approach I was attracted to the calmness and the gentle consideration of how two things sat together.  I was not alone.  She seemed to spend dedicated time with each and every participant sharing skills on method and tools all the while.

On Saturday and Sunday Carolyn did applique and the results were the same.  Great straight forward technique produced engaging results all around. 

There is room to use her fabrics, which are beautiful or to mix and contrast with others.  The shapes range from super simple to somewhat complicated but all are achievable.

Carolyn's formal training was art and architecture.  The evidence of this training is clear.  I have a life long friend, Kathyt hat is also an architect/quilter.  Although her quilts take on a different direction it is just as focused.  It is interesting to note how the interests and studies of our lives translate into the stories our quilts create for us.  Is it us or the dreaming that brings these images to life?  Again, it boggles the mind to see how many ways there are to express ourselves with textiles.

I often refer to the curly hair/straight hair syndrome.  We always want what we don't have and I want to learn how to achieve this beautiful and considered approach! It was such a pleasure having Carolyn with us for the weekend and I am sure those at Amite doing her class will really enjoy it.  Thanks to Jen Kingwell for organizing Carolyn to visit Australia.  It was a big weekend with the Modern Quilt Show and the 120 people doing workshops and I am, like all others who attended, full of inspiration.

We have a few of Carolyn's book, Savour each Stitch, and she generously signed them!  If you missed out and want a piece of the action start with her book.  In addition, we will offer a follow up class on the foundation piecing if you want to finish in workshop style!  Just contact the shop by email or phone.

So, that's a wrap on the recap.  I am as always so happy to be a quilter and to share the opportunities available to us with so many other quilters.  Thank you to Carolyn for her professional, talented, kind and generous soul and for sharing it with so many! 

Enjoy! k

 

 

 

Making Space...Anna Maria Horner

Today is the first day of the rest of your life....often said and always true but today it feels a bit different.  Today is one of those days following a long list of events and happenings that take place after much planning, much longing, much deliberation and preparation by many hands.  Today I feel space in my head where so many  lists have been ticked off.  There are of course new lists forming already but the big ones, for the moment, are the whisper of memories and very sweet ones at that.

Flash back to the early days of MO...10 years back when I opened a box from XLN and pulled out Anna Maria Horners first range of fabric Bohemia.  I knew then what I know even better now...she is a magician with color and design.  It is one thing to be able to create a fabric range but the ability to deliver collection after collection of heart touching beauty is another thing altogether.  We started communicating back then.  I wanted more of what she had because her fabrics made me want to MAKE!

So here we are, 10 years later making memories in real time with others that have fallen in love with Anna Maria.  It was such a wonderful pleasure to gather together quilters that have supported her collections and followed her blog story of life for as long as I have. 

As always, when we at Material Obsession gather the team for a workshop we relish the opportunity to meet new people from near and far.  This past weekend we were able to connect with many friends from the internet and surrounding areas in the workshops.  Here we have Jodie Godfrey from @talesofcloth from Newcastle working with Anna Maria in person after making samples for her market booth!

The workshops were full of Plot Twists...this is the baby version of the most loveable, organic design.
and Cross Country adventures.  I appreciate that Anna Maria takes the time to really think through what she is doing and these quilts, all named in reference to her trip to Australia are the result.  Safe Passage... Cross Country and Plot Twist all reference elements of her journey down under which has been many years in the planning.

Hands, hearts and minds collided all over the place as everyone dove into the concept of taking elements of the designs and just plain going for it with the fabric.  The latest collection, Luminous II was massively popular for delicious backgrounds that add line and interest.  The prints were divided up among the shapes adding color and texture.  All in all there was no way to go wrong!

 

 

 

 

In between the creative moments were lots of silly ones...and breaks for social media...and well sharing.

 

One new thing for me is a desire to dive into the world of stitchery.  Watching the workshop on Sunday morning really made my fingers itch to at last break through the barrier and try some embroidery style stitching.  The designs in Anna Maria's patterns are magnetic and usable in so many ways to decorate and personalize home dec items and quilts.

I wanted to share this event before the magic wore off.  Having a woman of such character, professionalism and talent around makes me want to reach higher, be better, examine the details of life more closely.  Learning from the best is a good way to go.  I'll share a little secret, there are no chinks in her armour...she is the real deal.  Full of positive energy, strength, compassion and life in a way that any encounter will leave you wanting more.

So, if you are out there crying that you missed out on the fun stay tuned.  All of Anna Maria Horner's new patterns will be available at MO soon.  There are templates in both acrylic and mylar on the way as well as stitchery patterns.  We are ready and willing to help you get started on your next project.

Speaking of that, classes at MO for 2017 will soon be opening.  Keep your eye out for the email with the calendar and look forward to a few evenings with bubbles and sales coming up.  We thought evenings might just be the way to enjoy a bit of twilight Christmas shopping...dates coming up.  Also coming up will be a post on Carolyn Friedlander who also delighted us this weekend.

so...might take a little nap now...enjoy! Kathy

Lucky Last Lecture

This year has been full of wonderful opportunities near and far to talk quilts in a wide variety of places and spaces.  Please join me tomorrow for my last lecture of the year...The Quilt Study Group of NSW has invited me to share my experiences as a fabric designer.  Where ideas come from, how they become fabric and how it gets into your hands...look here for more details.

 

The talk starts at 2pm at The Glover Cottages, 124 Kent Street, Millers Point.  I look forward to sharing the experiences, ups and downs of the last five years...hope to see you there!  I promise not to cry! k