Intuitive Textile Journeys

Canvas Inspirations

2012-02-13T02:02:00.000-08:00

Art is not what you see, but what others make you see – Edgar Degas

A wounded shag, sat in my peripheral vision on a white fence; recovering; while these inspirational pages were created. He knew, “its not smart to kick the bucket.”

Sometimes we need to rest; write; draw, whatever before we fly again.

Shags teach us buoyancy, the ability to dive under the water a pop right back up again. Being bouyant enough to rest on top in spite of the heaviness of life circumstances. It teaches that no matter how difficult life becomes, not matter how deep you plunge – you can pop to the surface. Shag holds the knowledge of how to rise above life’s trials. Resting, frees shags (and us) from whatever emotions weighs them down – and teaches us not to be overcome by our emotions, but to pop right back up again.

So what about the bucket? That shag sat on the fence for nearly three hours recovering. I called bird rescue, because thats not normal bird behaviour – particularly when cars drive by – normal bird behaviour is to fly off. I was worried that it might be hurt and so exhausted that it might fall off that fence and become more vulnerable.

Stephen M R Covey says in his book, The Speed of Trust: Trust is like a big bucket that gets filled with water (trust deposits) one drop at a time, and with some withdrawals. Massive withdrawals are like kicking the bucket – a single action and you don’t have anything left. You’re going to make mistakes, just try not to make the ones that completely destroy trust; and work hard to build trust and to restore whatever trust has been lost.

But that shag knew it needed to rest on that fence. Shortly after I called Bird Rescue, it felt restored enough to fly off.

Playing with paint today like an uninhibited child restored my soul. I chatted to Peggy today, another artist – she told me to give up my job and go to art school – to immerse myself with time for art. Today’s horoscope tells me to put away my crayons and get serious. I think it’s the same message – take your art seriously. Give it the time it deserves. You have a strong voice and won’t be swamped by others. And to cap it all off the tarot card this week is the 7 Pentacles – mountain climbed, success gained, but found wanting by the soul. It’s not enough to just be successful – we must truly enjoy the success.

A new snuggle rug

2012-02-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

A minke snuggle rug - took only 5 hours to put this together. 60"x60".

Confession - this is the first sewing I've done for 2012.

Immersing in 16,000ft and 70 seconds of free falling!

2012-01-29T12:56:00.000-08:00

This morning I have the gift of waking up in the beautiful Bay of Islands. On my way to the outside toilet, my first glimpse across the orchard and out to the water, brought a rabbit jumping with joy – no-one else is up and about to disturb its raid on the garden. I’m staying in a bach at the head of the KeriKeri River at the head of the southern headland to the inlet. We are in Kiwi territory. They started calling to each other about 10 last night. It feels like only yesterday that summer arrived and even though the water is still cold, and the tide was at low ebb we got our first swim, then lay and dozed in the sun. Even as late in the day as it was, I got sunburned. When we get the sun here it is fierce indeed.

I’m up in KeriKeri (which is 3 hours north of Auckland) to fulfill a dream I had when I was 15 – to do a parachute jump. So it’s happening today. Back in 1975 you had to jump by yourself, but these days you can tandem jump. For my friend Michelle it’s a bucket list item and she is already excited and bouncing about everywhere; whereas I feel perfectly calm, as if it is nothing more than taking a swim in the sea. We are going up to 16,000 feet and free falling for seventy seconds – the highest jump in New Zealand.

My word for the year, that the things I do and experience and have in my life in 2012 is Immersion. What better way to begin than a tandem Skydive? It’s a dream that has been at the back of the shelf for far too long, for lots of different reasons, until it was almost forgotten.

We are back from not sky diving and are feeling very disappointed. There has been too much cloud all day and only two flights got up between the clouds. One’s expectations can lead to huge disappointments. I had such big plans for this weekend and all day we have been back and forth to the airfield. Filling the burst in between with short activities that we really didn’t have a huge interest in or excitement about as we were totally focused on jumping. I had also hoped to learn to row a dingy this weekend. We are booked to jump again, at 4pm tomorrow – but there are no guarantees and we might have to come back another time. It seems like an activity that is best decided on the day to avoid the disappointment – but then you don’t get a discounted price. We are re-scheduled for 4pm tomorrow. Fingers crossed. J

We decided to go down to the beach and jump in the sand – this resulted in sets of crazy photo’s. I’m cautious of jumping from two feet off the ground for fear of hurting myself. This is hangover from when I was nine and let go of a rope swing and landed on my head – it resulted in a coma for a couple of days. Somehow though, the thought of jumping from 16,000 feet doesn’t faze me at all.

I had to post this photo - because the sunset was incredible!

30 Jan 2012

Monday was the perfect day today in so many ways. Crystal clear, blue sky, no wind, still water and the ocean reflecting the light. It was so tempting we got up and went out in the kyaks for two hours – I could have stayed out all day till our jump time. The water in the Kerikeri inlet is so clear you can see all the way to the bottom.

We jumped on Monday 30 January. I can highly recommend it and would definitely do it again – apart from the frustration of waiting around. Booked for 4pm today, we got to jump at 7.20pm, and the day was still totally gorgeous. I felt completely calm and relaxed about it, not hyped up or exhilarated until after the jump. My Tandem Master had done 13 jumps already that day and my jump brought his personal jump total to 6,001! So I really was attached to an expert.

Don’t forget to write by Maya Stein

2012-01-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

while you are piecing together the map of your life,

stepping as nimbly as you can out of the mulch

of your thoughts, the busy traffic of your heart,

while you attempt grace and magic and the blessing of

your soft, surrendered kiss, while you are fathoming the stretch you will need for the wide and rocky jungle of your own happiness,

while you are hunkering down to a piece of dark bread

and the odd, welcome relief of hunger,

don’t forget to write.

write this day, its too-early morning and the birdsong

you cursed into your pillow. write the way the dog

looked as you as forlornly as your own shadow.

write this blanket, this cup of coffee, the irreverent

clatter of the neighbor’s lawnmower. Write the bees

that bend forever to their task. Write the July heat

and the laps in the town pool that cleave you from

this earth, the over-solid grip you have on everything.

write this hour, tired and awake all at once, the distractions

you can make of breakfast or a calculator or the remote control

lying flaccid on the living room couch.

Write the dead mosquito on the bathroom floor, the small

clot of blood on your forearm. Write the careful arrangement

of the bed linens, the yellow of the walls, the way the

garden hose snakes around the back porch where old boxes

are bending under their own weight and where spiders

have begun to take control of the tomato plants.

write your white legs and your short pants and

The constellations imprinted on your skin. Write

The dusty sex toys in the bedside bureau, the silvery

condom packages nearing their expiration dates.

write the wet sound of love in the middle of the night.

write the blackberry bush and its sour fruit,

the mailman in his cheerful hat,

the neighbor who confuses you with someone else,

calls you a name that’s not yours, write the feeling

of lost identity and disappointment and some letter

you’re perennially hoping for.

write the words for failure. write the words for hope.

write the tightrope dangling above the canyon,

and down below, the electric water furious and free.

write green. write violet. write blazing orange.

write the smell of grapefruit skin, the eyelash

on a cheekbone, the hand you hold in the dark.

write the first, honest paragraphs of sunrise.

write everything, or nothing, but don’t forget to write.

5 Ways to Kill a Man by Edwin Brock

2011-12-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

There are many cumbersome ways to kill a man;

you can make him carry a plank of wood

to the top of a hill and nail him to it. To do this

properly you require a crowd of people

wearing sandals, a cock that crows, a cloak

to dissect, a sponge, some vinegar and one

man to hammer the nails home.

Or you can take a length of steel,

shaped and chased in a traditional way,

and attempt to pierce the metal cage he wears.

But for this you need white horses

English trees, men with bows and arrows,

at least two flags, a prince and a

castle to hold your banquet in.

Dispensing with nobility, you may, if the wind

allows, blow gas at him. But then you need

a mile of mud sliced through with ditches,

not to mention black boots, bomb craters,

more mud, a plague of rats, a dozen songs

and some round hats mad of steel.

In an age of aeroplanes, you may fly

miles above your victim and dispose of him by

pressing one small switch. All you then

require is an ocean to separate you, two

systems of government, a nation’s scientists,

several factories, a psychopath and

land that on-one needs for several years.

These are, as I began, cumbersome ways

to kill a man. Simpler, direct, and much more neat

is to see that he is living somewhere in the middle

of the twentieth century, and leave him there.

I've been clearing out the basement of things of the past that I no longer need. Some still resonate, like this poerm - I think it is just amazing. I wonder how Edwin Brock (he died in 1997) would have written up the Twin Towers.

Chasing the Perfect Pumpkin Pie 1

2011-11-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

Since the experiment with blind baking and making individual pumpkin pies for Halloween, I've decided to find the perfect recipe before 31 October 2012.

My friend from California, Michelle, tells me that its made with a custard and adding a pumpkin pie.

The filling was better, as this time I roasted the pumpkin then made a custard from Nigella Kitchen by Nigella Lawson (using egg yolks!) and added pumpkin mashed with cinnamon, ginger and allspice (1/4 teaspoon of each). The flavour of the roasted pumpkin and its consistency were amazing. I will never boil pumpkin and mash it again for a pumpkin pie - too much liquid seeps out. However the flavour of the spices needs to be stronger.

I then thought that perhaps a brandy basket might work with the pumpkin custard as a filling. I purchased a box of 6 - all but two were not broken. Raced back to the supermarket, where they had to open two more boxes to get me six unbroken ones. Alas, its a good idea, but the pie mix made the bottom of the baskets soggy. Back to square one.

I've been reading Nigella Kitchen, and she has a recipe for Chocolate Brownie bowls which bakes using a 6-cavity desert shell pan ... now this could be just the ticket.

Early Saturday morning seems to be a time for waking early, reading and blogging. Oh well, you've got to fit it all in somehow I guess.

Patu - Facing and overcoming the challenges life presents.

2011-10-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

Patu - A close combat one handed weapon ... a handmade striking weapon, imparting a blow with a horizontal thrust straight from the shoulder at the enemy's temple. If the foe would be grasped, then the patu would be driven up under the ribs or jaw.

Preferred material - pounamu (Greenstone); also ordinary stone, whalebone, wood. Patu made from Green stone is called "Mere".
Source: Wikipedia

I much prefer this Wikepedia definition for Mere:

Facing and overcoming the challenges life presents.

This quilt is made from a scrap of fabric that was a gift from Distressed Threads / Chris Tait / Catherine McDonald/Cheryl Comfort. It was orginally a small notebook cover which begged to be a wall hanging. I had to cut and re-piece the scrap to achieve the motif image. This is so hot off the press that it hasn't had a final pressing nor do I know the measurements - it's around 30cm x 85cm. This quilt spoke with a loud voice and took about two days from start to finish. Masking the words took almost three hours ... and then there is always the irresistible urge to peel the mask off before the paint is dry. I had to put it up out of sight to not be tempted - even though I know waiting gives the best result, it gives no support at all to my heart wanting to get on with it.

SSSH.... this is a secret until 24 November 2011 - Daises for Rosie

2011-10-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

It's too big to photograph well until it is hung properly.

Handbag & Mug holder

2011-09-05T01:30:00.000-07:00

I have been busy sewing ... when I can.

Birthday

2011-07-30T01:25:00.000-07:00

I had a birthday last Saturday and my wonderful friends Loreen and Keith gave me red and white fat Quarters - now the decision is - what to make with them ...

A little bit of Christmas ... from Elizabeth

2011-07-20T03:06:00.000-07:00

It took a day of sickness, but it gave me the time to stitch this gift from my dear friend Elizabeth.

How old is ric rac?

2011-07-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

Well its a fair question but not one that occured until a conversation with quilting friends. I'd guessed it to have been the 1950's - but the truth reveals just what a baby I am in braiding knowledge. Its of my great grandmother's generation. Back in 1886 they were crocheting on to ric rac. I see the possibility, have inherited some incredibly fine steel crochet needles - but I still wouldn't want to attempt it.

Of course the question came up because of using ric rac in my current quilt.

Orange Peels

2011-06-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

I found a wonderful new blog to follow and I'm completely inspired by Kathleen's Orange Peels. Her blog is called - It's all About Colour.

My scrap box has been calling for a while - getting too full of scraps basically and I need to do something with it all.

I've been awake since 5am this morning looking at blogs and art online. We are having a wet and wild holiday weekend in New Zealand - perfect for loads of creativity and an extra day off for it all.

Claudia Nice

2011-05-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

I've discovered an artist: Claudia Nice. she has published a series of books on sketching in pen and ink, drawing and watercolor.

Here's the list:

Down by the Sea with brush & pen draw and paint beautiful coastal scenes
How to see, how to draw: Keys to realistic drawing

Sketching your favourite subjects in pen and Ink
Creating textured landscapes with pen, ink and watercolor
Creating creatures of fantasy and imagination : everyday inspirations for painting faeries, elves, dragons and more
Painting country gardens in watercolor, pen & ink

Painting your favorite animals in pen, ink and watercolor
Painting weathered buildings in pen, ink and watercolor

Putting it all together

2011-05-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

I started some drawings for a quilt today from a sketchbook idea. It occurred to me that I've had some fantastic tutors, who have each taught me something that will work towards the finishing of this quilt. Gloria Loughman, Sandra Meech, Jennie Bowker and Hollis Chatelain. Thank you ladies.

Here's the beginnings:

Bugs Quilt

2011-05-17T01:07:00.000-07:00

This is an Amy Bradley design - now ready to be quilted.

Happy Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-08T00:52:00.000-07:00

Remarkable Symposium Queenstown 18 - 22 April 2011

2011-04-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

These are images of my choice, hand painted with fibre reactive dyes which I did in a three day class with Hollis Chatelain. It was such a gift to do a class with Hollis as I've been thinking about going to the States to do a class with her for several years now. And, to have it held in my favourite place in New Zealand - just magic. Hollis also teaches drawing - that's now on my list of things to do. I've come home from Symposium with these two (fat quarter size) pieces to paint with thread as the next step.

You may recognise the hand; its is from the Pieta - the original is a marble sculpture by Michaelangeo Buonarotti created (1498-1499) and it is housed in St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

"Michelangelo carved it when he was 24 years old, and it is the only one he ever signed. The beauty of its lines and expression leaves a lasting impression on everyone." (Source) My photo came out quite brown and pink in colour and that's the reason for the choice of colours of dye. I intend to quilt with threads that will further reduce the colour to give more of an alabaster look.

I think it is a very powerful image. The next image is also very powerful and others in the class asked me if it was Abraham Lincoln or Sir Edmund Hillary. That says to me that its an image that everyone finds someone they know to recognise in its dramatic lines. He looks to me as if he is about to look up and I've been thinking alot about how to quilt this to encourage the viewer to feel that he will indeed look up. In Hollis's class I learned a technique to audition quilting lines! Superb stuff and it encourages you to expand your quilting repetoire without needing to make a stitch.

The original is a piece of art by Henry W Dixon a watercolourist from Florida.

Milford Sound - Piopiotahi

2011-04-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Maori name for Milford Sound which means 'a single thrush' is said to be drawn fromthe legend which told that when Maui lost the treasure of immortality to the goddess of death, Hine-nui-te-Po,a thrush flew to this place to sorrow for the death of its mate.

Distressed Threads - Fabrics With Attitude

2011-04-19T00:12:00.000-07:00

Oh wow! A new fabric dyer with fat quarters at the Remarkable Symposium. These wonderful fabrics are the work of Cheryl Comfort, Chris Tait and Catherine McDonald. Very hard to resist a couple of purchases - if you want to know more, contact Distressed Threads. Congratulations girls - it is fantastic fabric.

Here are some samples:

The next two are the same piece of fabric with the reverse side showing. It's a very tough decision which side will get to be a quilt.

Extensions

2011-04-16T00:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the beginning piece of fabric for another quilt. Every so often I find a piece of fabric that just speaks to me, a quiet whisper at first and when completed its voice is clearly heard, its message revealed. I've decided this collection of quilts is my Extension series.

I don't make them one after the other, (exploring many ideas off one central idea), just when the fabric inspires and speaks. This one will be the third one in the series.

Other posts on this kind of work are Last Breath and Freedom, which I made prior to beginning blogging in 2006. I'll have to get it out and photograph it.

So here is the latest piece of fabric.

Success

2011-03-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

Success is more than just physical, intellectual or economic performance. Or endurance. It also requires some sense of whether the activity behind and around it was worthwhile for the participants, and for those served by it. Ricardo Semler, Semco

Piha and IRB Magic

2011-03-03T23:46:00.000-08:00

We had a company team building event at Piha SLSC today. I got to ride in an IRB - talk about the utlimate in fun park rides! This beats em all. Our wild west coast is something else. It probably doesn't look much but these swells are 6 -7 foot!

Five out of Five

2011-03-02T23:18:00.000-08:00

Five quilts out of Five quilt entries have been accepted for the National Exhibition in Queenstown at the Remarkable Symposium!

New Quilt underway

2011-02-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

Friends Day

2011-02-13T01:18:00.000-08:00

I have a lovely tradition with two friends - once a year we have a Friends Day - its lunch out, or spending some time together. This year, I also got to skype with a friend overseas on Friends Day and doodled with drawing while chatting to her. Here's the result:

A new project for 2011 - Art Journal Everyday

2011-01-14T01:47:00.000-08:00

Well the idea is to draw, paint, or create some art for 10 minutes of every day. This was done on Sunday 8 January. So far I'm finding that its easier for me to draw from life eg a flower, or to use something to bounce off eg a newspaper clipping which is what inspired this picture. Actually that is probably the way I design quilts as well - having a beginning point. Of course the hard thing is that I know I will spend more than 10 minutes because I just get so engrossed in it ... but its loads of fun using my new Inktense Watercolour pencils - I love them!

If you want to know more about Art Journal Everyday it is the inspiration of Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. She got 365 artists inspired so far ...

Arts and Crafts Textiles

2011-01-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

I've just read a fabulous book: Textiles of the Arts and Crafts Movement (Linda Parry), and while the text was interesting the images of textile designs has really captured me and opened my eyes to designers from the Arts and Crafts Movement other than William Morris.

This is part of a textile designed by Walter Crane, called "The Colonies". It was designed for the Royal Jubilee of 1887. The pattern was descibed at the time as 'a kind of apotheosis of the British Empire expressed in a figurative way.' (part quote from the book: Textiles of the Arts and Crafts Movement (Linda Parry)).

Looking at the colonies depicted raised some interesting thoughts and questions. They are from Left to right: south Africa, Australia, India, Britannia, Canada.

Thoughts and questions:
* Australia is the only woman wearing shoes. Canada, possibly has stockings on, while the other three women are barefoot.
* Headwear is another interesting distinction. What is that obsession with Britannia wearing a Roman, or even possibly as Spartan helmet?
*Each country is depicted by its textiles - eg lepoard skin for South Africa, Wool for Australia, fur for Canada, silk for India
* Where are the other colonies - is New Zealand in the original fabric, or Malaysia?
* The depiction of South Africa as a blonde woman, with european features and a sunburnt skin - seems at odds with what women of the age would have been doing - ie staying out of the sun
* And prehaps an odd thing to notice, that of the women who face forwards Britannia has the biggest boobs?

How much reflects what the artist new about each colony, and how much is modelled on women he knew?

Christmas Letter 2010

2010-12-23T23:17:00.000-08:00

Hello and greetings of the season to you and your family,

Wow, what a year 2010 has been – when I look back I just wonder, ‘how?’ When I started to think about writing this year, I really thought I hadn’t achieved a heck of a lot, but my photographs and blogging across the year show a different picture. This year I have finished no less than six quilts, read 53 books, had two flatmates, two jobs, said goodbye to three friends, shed loads of material girl stuff that I’ve been dragging around for too long, abandoned keeping the door to my heart shut, welcomed new friends into my life, taken up learning to draw and a drawing challenge, connected with loads of people on Facebook, and shared love and joy and some sorrow with so many.

My year began with a word of the year challenge from a friend. This concept is from http://www.christinekane.com/. Its’ about choosing a word to focus on for the year. I chose ‘Abandon’ and it has helped me shake up and change patterns and stuff. My friend chose Holiday – she set a goal of a holiday for every month of the year! And wow it worked – for both of us. There is a list of questions to work through to get you thinking.
I went back to full time work in September and now work for a food ingredients company. We do natural flavours, colours and enzymes. Most people I tell, say they have never heard of such a thing. We do not manufacture, but develop beverages and food products which we then sell to customers for manufacturer for example, flavoured teas, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, fruit bars. Enzymes are used in the process of brewing beer, making wines or removing bad smells from waste products – they speed the process up and improve profitability of a product.

My family have been through their ups and downs this year. My mum gave us a scare with a racing heart beat. She went up to 170 beats a minute, which, for an 82 year old at resting pace is way too high. After a couple of months her health has seemed to settle back to an easier pace. My niece in England has won a regional art competition, Joseph changed his job and has been upskilling in a larger company. Michael met a lovely Chinese girl and was off to meet her family, and do a tour of the Wall, Shanghai and Beijing – but at the last minute she has changed her mind.

I lost some wonderful friends this year – Brookby Star. She was such an enthusiastic supporter of my quilts, always settling herself right in the middle of any quilt I had laid up on the floor.

The next picture of a quilt in is called Last Breath and is a tribute to the life of my friend Peter Crosbie who died in August as a result of lung cancer from asbestos. He was such a goer for life and lived every second to the max.

I began the year with drawing lessons – the lessons themselves weren’t great, but I continued to try. Because I know nothing at all about drawing I signed up for the Brooklyn Art Library (New York) Sketchbook project and have until 14 January 2011 to get my sketchbook back. It’s a world wide project and my mum and Megan (my niece also are doing a book). http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject When all the books are received back, they go on tour in the States and then become part of the collection of the library. It’s been a challenge, but has helped me focus on learning more about drawing. The best book I read this year is about drawing. Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists by Carla Soneheim.

In 2008 I started recording a list of books I read in the year, because I was living with a friend who read voraciously and I wanted to see how many I managed. In 2008 I read 28 books, 2009 – 41 and as at the beginning of December 2010 I’ve reached 59. Doing this simple exercise has completely been a revalation to me – especially when I look back over the lists and there are titles there that I remember absolutely nothing about. Of course its made easy by having interests such as quilting and drawing to read about.

The weather people tell us we are in for a long hot summer – As early as November we have had some days up at 30 degrees celcius – which I know isn’t hot for some, but for us it’s getting there. We already have water shortages in some areas, and properties with water tanks, are having to buy water already; where often they’d get through till mid-January.

You will have heard we have had our share of disasters in New Zealand this year – the big earthquake in Christchurch and the Pike River mining tragedy. I think the earthquake has helped us all realise that NZ learned some important lessons from our last big shake in 1931 in Napier. When I compare how we fared, and how we are recovering quickly and without subsequent outbreaks of disease, we have been really blessed. I periodically see news about Haati who had a similar size shake in May and they still have an aftermath to deal with. One of the biggest realisations here in NZ has been the aftershocks, which have been quite big earthquakes in their own right, which are still continuing. I guess that knowing our ‘Kiwi Ingenuity’ which we are famous for, there will be technological developments that will prepare us, and the rest of the world for events of a similar nature in the future. Certainly the disaster at Pike River Mine is requiring a ton of ingenuity to put out the underground fire, and it has brought to light that we have several mines here that have had fires going underground since the 1930’s! Like who ever heard of that before this happened.

I’m still living in Takapuna – only 10 minutes walk away from the one of Auckland’s most beautiful beaches which I continue to enjoy most days – although this second half of the year my energy levels have been down and I haven’t been half as good at walking everyday as I was in the first half of the year. Working full time and not finishing until 5pm has had an impact and I need to get a rhythm going for next year. I’ve set myself the travel aim of no less than a hike in the Grand Canyon and more time in Italy before I turn 60. I’ve been talking about doing the Grand Canyon for so long, its time to make it a reality. Just when it will be is yet to be worked out, but I guess spontaneity will grab hold of me and get me going when the moment is right – but one thing I do know is that I want to be fit before doing it, to get the most enjoyment possible.

I do hope that 2010 has treated you and your friends and family well and that we can expect an even more wonderful 2011, it is after all, the moments that take our breath away, the beauty of the world, and the joy that friends and loved ones share with us that enrich our lives. I wish you peace and joy for 2011.

Love always

Veronicah xxx

Earth From Above

2010-12-06T00:25:00.000-08:00

If you are in Auckland, the Earth From Above photographic exhibition is on 24 hours a day in Aotea Square and it is a feast for quilters! Lines, shapes, quilting designs, colour palettes for quilts. This is an amazing miracle ... it's on til 19 December.

Christmas Shopping

2010-12-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

Wow its been a busy day. I worked at the quilt shop today and had quite a busy day. In between I was organising a Christmas decorating suprise in the classroom upstairs as we have a customer party at the shop next weekend.

After work I headed into the city to get some Christmas gifts - managed to get three in about two hours, its always good going when you know what you are after.

I couldn't resist this photo. This santa was always a part of my childhood. Before the days of shopping malls, everyone in Auckland used to go to Farmers at Christmas. This store began trading in 1899 and as a place for rural New Zealanders to shop via a catalogue. It grew into a nation wide chain store. In 1934 it innovated a Christmas Santa Parade for the children of Auckland, which continues to this day. It was another thing of my childhood, to every year go to this parade. My father's office was on the route and we used to go and sit high up in the windows above the crowds and get a birds eye view, hanging out windows and waving our 'welcome santa flags'.

In 1960 the store innovated again and this gigantic three store santa which was made of concrete I think, was placed on the outside of the building. I remember reindeers being added with beautiful sparkling tinsel linking them all as the sleigh reigns to santa. A further innovation one year was that santa's eye winked and his crooked finger beckoned.

With the sale of the flagship store and the birth of malls santa went into storage for a few years, until he was brought by another major retailer Whitcoulls. Now again, every Christmas he sits on his corner in Queen and Victoria Street, somewhat less majestically than I remember from the magic of my childhood. But he is still an iconic Auckland Christmas symbol, loved by generations.

I took another photo which I've uploaded to the 365 days tab on this blog - this one has triggered and idea for a NZ Christmas Quilt ... as if I need any more ideas .... You can get there by clicking on the tab at the top of this page.

The same piece of road and 365 photographs

2010-11-29T00:37:00.000-08:00

The same piece of motorway, and the fact that I'm determined to take a photo and blog it on my page 365 days in this blog, is forcing creativity out of me in unexpected ways!

For a couple of days I've been looking at a stretch where I'm in an on ramp queue for about 10 minutes. This stretch has what I would describe as handrails that turn inwards to prevent any car from driving up over the edge in an accident. There is a small piece - I'll have to try and snap it one night - were the "handrails" from two different motorways sit close to each other.

Today it looked like a quilting pattern to me.

Why is it than when you finally see something, there are only seconds to capture it before the traffic moves again?

You may see the negative space first here. If so, focus on the two shapes that I sketched quickly. I think this could be done like the drawing with hard lines, or could be curved softer protusions, or even really the shape drawn with a curved edge. Don't have time to sketch the ideas at the moment. Perhaps will get to add them later.

Hope you had a creative day today as well. :-)

A Quilt in my head

2010-11-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

I woke up today with a quilt in my head.

A red line on a black background.

I allowed myself to follow the line and it revealed a picture.

The Rose Garden

2010-11-19T23:28:00.000-08:00

Went to the Rose Gardens today with my mum - the pictures are today's words.

Colour inspiration for a quilt

2010-11-16T00:12:00.000-08:00

Flax is flowering in New Zealand at the moment. This is on a motorway onramp on my drive to work and believe it or not it is a minature yellow variety. The colours in this image (the only one I got to take, because the driver behind was getting impatient about not "inching forwad") have yellow lime flowers which contrasted amazingly with the greens of the leaves and the dark grey of the morning sky.

Despite the look of the morning we had 30 degree temperatures in New Zealand today.

I'm intrigured by colour paletes at the moment so have put this together to reflect the colours of this morning. I tried to do it quickly, and it made me realise that I have a limited pallet of colours in my stash - when I thought I had so much. I don't think I've captured the dark sultry feel of the morning and the contrast of dark blue grey with kakhi yellow and dark olive. I realise I need black as well to create the mood of the flax. Maybe I've got all the proportions wrong. It took me about 20 minutes to pull this selection together. Might have a go at improving it tomorrow night - to tired to do it now. I realised the next day that I am also using the information that my mind knows to be true about the yellow-green of the falx, rather than what my eye - the camera is saying about everything being dulled.

A couple more pictures from the next day - same time, but completely different weather conditions.

Updated Fabric

2010-11-15T00:39:00.000-08:00

Here is my Devil's Marble piece with the three very light value fabrics replaced, by slightly darker ones - achieved with tea dyeing.

Images in Applique

2010-10-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

I've just done a fantastic three day class with Australian tutor Jenny Bowker with my quilting friends at Village Green Quilters. Here's my top almost ready to stitch. I've got three pieces of fabric that I want to change out for better tones. This is a don't miss class and you get far more than Jenny advertises. Do it as a three day class and residential and most of the class get to the finished ready to stitch stage. I could have stitched but spent some time designing extensions to make this a bigger piece. It currently is A2 size - approx 70cm x 100cm.

... and how about these sunrise shots!

Work is progressing

2010-09-21T00:17:00.000-07:00

Birthday Gift

2010-09-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

I finished this bag on Sunday for my Flatmate for her birthday next month. The pattern didn't have bound edges, just overlocked - but I found that just too weird.

Working on my ANZAC Banner

2010-09-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've been reading my Remarkable Symposium class book over this week. Decisions, decisions. One of them made is to enter the ANZAC Banner Quilt competition. I designed a red and white one but didn't have the white fabric to commence piecing it, so I then sat down and made this one. Doing two entries now. The photo shows only part of the quilt - it has to have words added to complete it.

She Thanks Her Lucky Stars

2010-09-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

This is me this week - hanging up my stars. Reminding myself how lucky and fortunate I really am.

Washing Day

2010-09-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

My flatmate has never met anyone who washes so much fabric before. It's washing day for fabric. She loves all the beautiful colours hanging up, then watches as I iron them absorbing the colours and the patterns. Here we have fabric for a table cloth, three bags, a quilt I'm acquiring gold/brown colours for, and various FQ's that I couldn't resist.

Colour Swap 2010 (ii)

2010-09-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here is what I received from Carol in Victoria, Australia - in my chosen colour - Green. I feel really spoiled and will enjoy using all of these gifts.

Colour Swap 2010

2010-09-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed doing these small things for the colour swap for Carol who lives in the Dandenongs in Victoria, Australia.

Kangaroo Dreaming / Women's Dreaming

2010-08-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

Kangaroo Dreaming / Women's Dreaming

These gorgeous fabrics from Country Bliss in Alice Springs were a birthday gift from my friend Elizabeth. She knows exactly what I like. I'm not sure what the Orange fabaric is called - I'll have to seek it out on the internet. The flying Roo's remind me so much of the Qantas logo on the tails of their planes.

To Aboriginals the Dreaming is the the Gods/Ancestors that give birth to everything physical on the earth. Each person identifies with a particular kind of dreaming symbolism.

Quilter's Academy

2010-08-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

I'm also reading this series of books - both Volume 1 & 2 are out. I asked my library to order them, which they did happily. Written by Harriet and Carrie Hargrave, Volume 1 begins with the basics, and even after quilting for 20 years, there are still things to be learned from the basic level to help you improve technically. Actually, 20 years on, I probably have more time to want to be techinically accurate, rather than getting carried away on the excitement of the design coming together.

This volume gives formulas for working out how much fabric you need for your design - something a lot of quilters struggle with. I'd recommend this book to both beginners and accomplished quilters. Harriet and Carrie have a blog, which connects you with others working on the projects in the book.

Here's a tip from page 72 about choosing fabrics for a quilt- which would be good to hear thoughts on.

"Choose the darker fabrics first and the lighter fabrics last.
Medium and dark fabrics are easier to select. There are also more of them available than there are lights."

It makes me wonder - "Why is that?" I usually have one fabric that inspires me, then I select the rest around it. I must watch to see if I choose the dark and medium before the lights. I probably have fewer lights in my stash. Why do we choose darks and mediums first?

Detouring and Learning to See

2010-08-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

"There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect" GK Chesterton

I couldn't help but detour on my way to work this morning - the light was so perfect for a few photographs. The gulls were beginning to assemble at the end of the tank farm, waiting for the camper vanners who can park here for free to arise for breakfast.

As promised - a couple of pages from my sketchbook. I'm focussing on fairies and fantasy art.

And here's what I'm reading at the moment about drawing, by Carla Sonheim: Drawing Lab. I love its simplicity and easy instructions, great pictures and tons of different drawing styles and 52 exercises for drawing creativity - one for each week of the year. I think I'm going to purchase this book.

Quilting Books

2010-07-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't sewn for at least a month, but have been creative with my sketchbook. I signed up for the Brooklyn Art Library Sketchbook Project 2011 Tour as a push to myself to focus a bit more on learning to draw. The Sketchbook has 80 pages to be completed by January 2011 - so far I've done 16. I need to develop the habit of drawing something everyday. My theme is "Figuring You Out". The 'You' of this for me, is figuring out how to draw.

I'm finding it is making me look more closely at details, particularly on faces and the way the lines of the mouth behave in certain expression. Will work on getting some pictures up so you can see.

Today's image is my Quilting Book shelf - every book or magazine on this shelf, has some connection to quilting.

NZ$2.99 Vege & Chicken Soup!

2010-07-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this - a box of veges for NZ$2.99 - all of course slightly damage,but mostly only bruising. Probably in the worst state was the parsley - being a bit withered. It has made the most beautiful soup, with great flavours and the addition of ground black pepper and caraway seeds has given it some winter warmth. mmm, mmmm. That's my creativity for the day.

Paints, Dyes and Pencils

2010-07-07T23:53:00.000-07:00

I've been playing with dye and watercolour paint mixed and painting the pages of two new sketchbooks. One is going to be for a series of work around the Great Wall of China, that I'm wanting to make a quilt about at some point in the future. The other is a Sketchbook to go into The Brooklyn Art Library's 2011 Sketchbook Project. http://arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject. More about that probably in future posts. Its challenge to myself, so I put time aside to sit down and develop my drawing skills - I'm a novice learner when it comes to drawing.

Last Breath

2010-07-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

I began this piece in 2009 after seeing the centre black and white fabric. The end result isn't too different from the original sketch. I changed the stitching of black on white to white on black and left the woven white fabric alone.

Quilting intuitively often means following what feels right at the time of quilting, and letting the piece speak for itself. I did a third of it then stopped completely, because my eyesight deterioated by 0.25% and suddenly I couldn't see black on black at night and never had daylight hours to do this. Two weeks ago I was sick for four days and had invested in new glasses an found a new inspiration for getting this finished.

This piece is called Last Breath and was quilted while thinking alot about my friend Peter Crosbie. He has lung cancer, but his life and the enthusiasm with which he has embraced it and the opportunities it has given him, is inspiring. I will always remember him telling me about his trip to Machu Pichu (when he was in his sixties I think). Rather than take the tourist bus down the mountain, he hurled himself off down the side with the local kids, racing the bus to the bottom!

Old Friends and New Friends

2010-07-03T15:39:00.000-07:00

I've finally walked my last hiking mile in my old Ecco Friends. I've had these vibram soled hiking shoes for eight years and I've worn them almost every day. I've walked so many miles in them that the sole has a hole and can't be replaced . They are so comfy, its hard to trade them in for the new ones, who are showing themselves off - looking like they are ready to go dancing.

I'd thoroughly recommend this brand as I wear them like trainers, for walking and hiking and they have been incredible value for money, costing me on average about NZ$50 per year. By comparrison a pair of trainers would only do me a year. The new ones are made of Yak leather - apparently three times stronger than ordinary leather. The leather on the old ones never wore out, so I figure the soles on these will be their demise as well - hopefully in about another ten years time!

Christmas 2009

2010-06-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

I realise that I haven't blogged about my 2009 Christmas Quilt being finished. Started in 2008 and worked on through 2009, it was ready for Christmas, but not photographed. Then I washed it and the dark navy batik fabric that hadn't been pre-washed ran! So it was waiting for Dylon colour remover and a fine day to re-wash it. This is a big quilt and I haven't anywhere to hang it where I can take a picutre of the whole thing.

Quilting this taught me something. I realised that one of the reasons I like to quilt in coloured thread, is that because of being long-sighted, it is easier for me to work on close up things when I can see them really clearly - particularly when free motion quilting in backwards direction.. But coloured thread just didn't work on this and I quilted with YLI cream thread. It took about 2000 metres - which surprised me. I stipple quilted and added a random set of three stars, but really the stars were a bit of a waste of time, because they don't really stand out enough. Lesson nailed.

A latex man - its not what you might be thinking

2010-06-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Keith - he came off his motorcycle a couple of weeks ago and is laid up at home. Thanks to latex technology he is at least able to shower with these massive latex bags over his casts. We were having fun with this and laughing lots - he just looks grumpy on purpose. The good looking one is his wife, Loreen.

Flowering Yucca

2010-06-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

Finally flowers on the Yucca!
(Click on it if you want to see it up closer)

... and a bird in the sun

... and my flatmate Ingrid. We were walking on North Head on Sunday - what a spectacular day it was - glorious sunshine

Finally Finished

2010-05-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

I've been completing my PHD's (projects half done). This one was begun in 1999 (I think). It was a Round Robin project with a slight difference. It was made with five other quilters: Brownyn Emsom, Sue Flego,Carol Newsham and Tracey Shepherd. The usual idea for a Round Robin style of quilt is that you make your own centre and each successive quilter adds a border around what has previously been done. In our case however, we decided to make one, or several beginning blocks and pass them on to the next quilter with excess bits of the beginning fabrics. As the quilt went from one to the next, it could be added to or the quilter could make more strips or blocks. The only rule was that the last quilter had to get it all together as a finished quilt top.

The quilt has been pinned up ever since it was completed in 1999 but I've never known how to quilt it. For a long time it has been packed away - waiting. with my recent decision to 'complete or abandon' I decided this should be completed. Then I had the idea just to quilt down it in variegated thread in straight lines - which looked amazing. I got it out to begin and then discovered that I no longer really loved this quilt. I don't like black much and this quilt suddenly felt too black. So now I was faced witht he 'complete or abandon' decision all over again, because I knew that once completed I would not hang or use this quilt.

My eventual decision was to complete - it only took a week to quilt - and then to give it away as a charity quilt. I had it at work with me in the shop and a customer came in for batting to complete a quilt she was making for a charity auction at school to raise money for the Mission's. I offered her my quilt as well and I felt very happy that it was finally on its journey to an owner who would love it.

Happy to have quilted for the second time

2010-05-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

I won enough of these fabrics to make a single bed quilt, as the prize for a viewers choice award for a completely different bright aboriginal quilt. These fabrics were not a pallette that I would normally have chosen, but the quilt has ended up being my favourite one for the bed.

I sourced more fabrics to make a queen size quilt then batted it with wool batting, and quilted it in 2006, finishing just before going on holiday to Rarotonga for three weeks.

Of course you always think you will remember the batting and of course I didn't and washed it in the machine in warm water. The result was that the quilt shrunk by 31cm and looked like a seersucker fabric! Lesson to myself - write the type of batting on the label - particularly on bed quilts that you know will eventually be washed one day.

Decision made, I resolved to unpick it and quilt it again. Here it is being completed, this time with a polyester batting.

I must mention my trusty Pfaff 1475 sewing machine. I've had it for 20 years and I know its coming up time to replace it. It has been a wonderful machine, but its hard work quilting large works on it. I still wouldn't want to be without it though.

Harvest Challenge

2010-05-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

My Harvest Challenge for our quilt club was completed at the weekend.

Update on the flowering Yucca

2010-05-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

I dropped back by the flowering yucca at the weekend. It seems to be taking ages for the flowers to arrive. It's interesting to watch that they leaves are turning brown as part of the process.

The World Does Not Need More Coal

2010-05-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had the largest protest rally that New Zealand has seen since the 1980's. An estimated 20,000 people came to protest the Government's plan to mine coal in the Coromandel and Great Barrier Island. Even the police were caught unprepared by the scale of the demonstration and the rolling roadblocks on Queen Street were cancelled as the entire street (1.3km) was a no-vechicle zone for 90 minutes.

The Coromandel and Great Barrier are holiday making area's of unspoiled New Zealand - still holiday zones of beauty and peace.

On Monday, this remnant of the protest remained to be seen. Says it all really.

What Matters Now - Enrichment

2010-05-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

Rajesh Setty is an entrepreneur, author and speaker who contributed to the book: What Matters Now

He says this about Enrichment.

The Litmus Test: If you are truly enriching someone's life, they will typically miss you in their past. They think their lives would have been even better if they had met you earlier.

You are only a rich as the enrichment you bring to the world around you.

If you want to see more you can get it here: What Matters Now (Seth Godin)
Its 82 pages and covers all kinds of topics.

Here's a picture from the weekend of Abbey enjoying the setting sun.

Reminders of Anzac Day

2010-04-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

Its always so interesting to take my camera when I go walking everyday,usually there is something that captures my thinking or heart even if only just for a moment. Monday night's walk produced these amazing images of things we don't see often. Anzac Day wreaths and reminders. I watched Saving Private Ryan on Saturday night. I've seen it before, but I still cried my way through it, even knowing what is coming next. I'm getting better than the first time I saw it at the movies - I cried from beginning to end and spent most of the movie hugging my knees. The guy seated next to me (who I didn't know) kept asking if I was okay. I'm truly glad that in mylifetime I haven't had to make a choice about war - to go or not.

Here's how we usually see Yucca's in New Zealand. I don't think I've seen one at this point of flowering before. I love the way it is unfurling itself.

There is somethingincredibly graceful about the way the leaves are arched over the base of the emerging flower.

I'll have to remember to drop back there, to see what has happened in a day or two.

The end of the weekend

2010-04-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

Brilliant Sunday night sunset colours - this is the view from my lounge. Another busy day, today I re-arranged the furniture in the lounge, so now it feels more like home. Spent the rest of the day reading, cleaning and scrapbooking quilt photo's.

Footprints

2010-04-25T12:50:00.001-07:00

There were loads of people out on Takapuna catching the last warmth of the sun on Saturday evening, and the water was still, making for brilliant colours.

Crazy Quilting friends

2010-04-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

Mary-Anne and Sarah. Mary-Anne is planning a new photo quilt and wanted to capture the layouts she set up in paper. Sarah was concerned she might fall off the swivel chair she was standing on.

Quilted Scrap Log Cabin

2010-04-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

I had the scrap quilt on the top professionally quilted with a continuous line design in 2006 and had the quilt on the bottom quilted by the same professional quilter with the same continuous line design in 2010. This first one measured 6.15sqm . It cost me $26 / metre to have it quilted. ($238.00) Both quilts fit a queen size bed.

The second one is 6.30sqm and cost $50/metre to have professionally quilted by the same quilter ($315.00). I made the error of not getting a quote first, and didn't realised her price for continuous quilting had doubled in four years. By NZ standards, I think this is expensive. Other quilters charge around $35/sqm for continuous quilting. It is however, a very nice job.

The second quilt measures: 2.40m wide x 2.70m long.

This will be my 92nd completed! I've been quilting since 1990 (20 years!)

Here's a close up of the 2010 one that has just been completed (2010) and you can see the quilting design.

Both quilts are random log cabin patterns - I think I prefer the design of the first one. I started them to use up the scraps, but I still have enough scraps to start another one.

Autumn Harvest

2010-04-16T21:25:00.001-07:00

Here's the leaves that inspire the second Harvest project.

Fabric Harvest

2010-04-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

My quilt club are having a "Harvest" challenge for our June meeting. I wasn't going to participate as I'm not into the country quilting thing, and all the theme was conjuring up was 'pumpkins and autumn leaves' which I wasn't very inspired about until this moment of putting the two concepts together. We have the most wonderful autumn reds leaves falling in Upper Queen Street at the moment. I'll have to harvest some for another idea that has popped into my head.

Yesterday I was sorting through projects to figure which one I will work on next, and some fabric leftovers came to the top of the pile. These were left from a class with Gloria Loughman. She is a fabulous Australian quilter, and like American Jane Sassaman, (who is another quilter I really admire), encourages students to save leftover motifs (orphans as Jane calls them), either positive or negative shapes from projects, because in the future they may inspire a new work.

This is what happened yesterday. I was playing with some leftovers, and they inspired a piece for the Harvest Challenge. Here is the thread audition - I'm getting ready for some quilting.

Drawing

2010-04-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

This is my 13 year old niece - Megan. She was 8 when she last made an appearance on my blog which you can see here. She is crazy about Animals and was holding a new doberman puppy.

I began from the photo by tracing the outline and then completed the drawing. Some of the shading doesn't scan very well as it is so light.

Morning Drive

2010-03-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

7am Tuesday 9 March 2010 - a few minutes later the clouds were lite up red behind the Sky Tower with the rising sun.

Oystercatchers at Cooks Beach

2010-03-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

Oystercatchers enjoying the pickings amongst the washed up seaweed

The Passenger Ship

2010-03-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

Another quilt PhD's completed!

The view from my office window

2010-03-01T10:35:00.000-08:00

I was at work at 6.45am this morning and had the pleasure of these beautiful sunrise colours.

Don't be afraid .... Don't be daunted

2010-02-28T16:51:00.000-08:00

Reminder to self: Don't be afraid, don't be daunted, continue to do your job. Show up and keep showing up.

When the Sun comes up

2010-02-28T15:44:00.000-08:00

Taken on Saturday 27 February 2010 at 7.30am, at Takapuna Beach, looking towards Rangitoto a volcanoe that last errupted 600 years ago.

Hand painted table quilt

2010-02-26T16:59:00.000-08:00

I used Shiva Paintstiks and a mask to create these Frangipani images on 6 inch batik squares. Quilted with variegated thread on 2oz batting, this is light enough for a table cloth or a picnic cloth.

Explore Dream Discover

2010-02-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines - Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Mark Twain

Drawing Class 1

2010-02-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

How's this for lesson one!

Log Cabin Scrap 2 - the completed top

2010-02-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

This is Brookby Star who always takes an interest in my quilting.

Dylon Colour Run Remover for whites or coloured cloth

2010-02-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to remember this product, so decided to blog the packaging / product.

When I've been naughty and haven't washed a fabric before using it - you can bet it will run. I've had several instances in the last year, and this product has completely removed the excess dye in the next washing.

Brilliant stuff, for use in Top Loading machines.

Scrap Log Cabin 2

2010-02-03T10:32:00.001-08:00

I started this about four years ago and it has sat, waiting for time. This week I woke up and went to the sewing machine and sewed and sewed from 7am till 5pm. I had already made 87 blocks (8" square) and figured I'd need about 144 for a good king size quilt. All up I made 95 in that time and cut them back to size. Now they're waiting to be put together as a top.

I'm trying to decide whether to do it completely randomly and let whatever happens happen, or whether to lay them out, place them, organise them and I'm swinging towards abandoning and letting whatever happens, happen!

Learning to paint roses and having the courage to go for it

2010-02-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

My mum brought me this old sewing workbox, one of the ends of the compartments was missing. I had it fixed about three years ago, and as the wood didn't match, I stripped it back and painted it. Then I had to move house and it has sat boxed up, waiting for the roses to be painted on the top. I'm not a painter, and thought if I asked my mum over for lunch that I'd be able to talk her into doing them for me, as she loves to paint flowers. My mum had other ideas, and after my completing two practice roses on paper she said it was time to go for it. Mum's always do know best. I'm pleased she helped me find the courage to go for it. We had a great lunch with salad sandwich things set out amongst the paints and brushes.

2010 It's Christmas, all over again

2010-01-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

Here I am working on a new quilt for Christmas 2010 - I've gone straight back to large quilts about 2.5M square - after the 2008 year of the 5" pieces! Here's the new Quilt - a new PhD, being laid out ready to sew. I'm in a pink and green phase .... again

A Decade Ending ... A Decade Beginning

2010-01-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

Here's the weaving I tried back in November at the Girls Sewing weekend. The second image shows the finished piece with a flax block that belongs to a friend. I had a flax / Maori idea for this as a finished work across a bag, which didn't work so I ended up with a wall hanging - which I have to say, I like alot. It greets me at the front door every day and is a constant reminder to celebrate my creativity.

I ended up cutting the weaving into four pieces and placing them like the stairway to Heaven. When I'd finished it occurs to me that I am completeing my fourth decade!

I didn't think I'd really like doing weaving, because I couldn't see how I might use it ... so much for my small thinking. A world of possibilities has opened up. Hope you enjoy looking at this.

(I'm having trouble getting the other photo's to load ... they're coming)

The Secret Boxing Day Project

2010-01-10T17:13:00.000-08:00

My friend Loreen and I worked on a joint project for our dear friend Carey in Wisconsin. We worked individually on getting the top together and then on Boxing day, began working together to get the three layers, embroidery and quilting done.

I liked the design of this quilt and have started a new Christmas Quilt in this design - with a few changes of course ....

My tree is up ... but there are still more decorations in storage

2009-12-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

Normally the Christmas spirit takes me by storm and I'm decorating for the entire last week of November. This year the storm was the flu instead, and it totally wiped my energy levels. I finally got a tree up this weeken in the colour theme of pink and gold (a new combination for me) ...must make a quilt in that colour scheme sometime. Apologies for the quality of the photo's.

I'm wishing for joy and peace this Christmas - I've had a traumatic year again. Bring on 2010 and may it bring everyone Joy and Peace.

Retreat, Inspiration, Challenge, New Skills, Friendship

2009-11-17T16:33:00.001-08:00

I spent the weekend on a retreat with my sewing mates. We all came up with a small project to teach the others. These were: Fabric Weaving, Creating a Cuff, Quilts from photo's our own photo's. The results were amazing, the weekend inspiring and at times challenging with numerous changes outs of colours (in my case) or pieces to get the photo quilt realistic. We had loads of fun and have two new projects to finish off. Cuffs were completed, with the exception of mine which I want to bead embellish.

The photo's say it all I think.

Observation of how different quilting changes a look

2009-10-15T01:23:00.000-07:00

I've been making the same small (A4 size) quilts for Christmas gifts, with slight variations like different coloured embroidery thread, positioning the border fabrics differently, but most of all using different quilting designs. Here's the results drafted on paper and some of the quilts.

Rubbish Quilts 10

2009-10-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Rubbish Quilts 9

2009-10-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Some more of my 5" quilts made from rubbish from a Patchwork shops class rubbish bins

Christmas Quilt 2009

2009-08-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

I resolved to take a row off my Christmas Quilt then split it in half to be quilted in two pieces. This weekend I worked on a sample piece to decide on the quilting pattern. It was a good exercise as it threw up an unexpected combination of quilting. I have always liked using contrasting coloured thread to quilt as it adds another dimension, but you can see from the stippling below it was just too much on this quilt. So the combo I reached (with the help of really good mates Mary-Anne and Sarah) was stipple in cream and stars in variegated thread. Check out the pictures.

Rubbish Quilts 7

2009-08-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Rubbish Quilts 8

2009-07-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

A few more rubbish quilts to look at.

New Zealand Men's Health Trust

2009-06-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

I recently started a job as the Office Manager for the New Zealand Men's Health Trust. Check us out! The picture is of me at my desk. http://www.ok.menshealth.org.nz/

Creating in the Moment vs Planning Ahead

2009-06-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

I've been stitching together a new Christmas Quilt over the past few weeks. Finally I have a top together which is 2.4m wide by 2.7m long. I have an uneven number of rows down the lenght of the quilt. I pieced all the rows from top to bottom, rather than across the width of the quilt. Not planning ahead with the style of quilt has created these problems:

Block quilting designs are based on even numbers, and geometry lends itself to an all over block design I think.

I can't easily just wip off the extra row - because I pieced the rows vertically. I have almost decided that I am going to do the unpicking and take it off.

The quilt is very large for quilting on a domestic machine, so I need to unpick either one or two more seams and quilt it in two or three pieces. If I choose a block quilting design over the large diamond shaped by four squares of four blocks, it still leaves me with a large middle section to quilt at the end - and I'll still have manouverability issues getting the quilt under the harp of the machine.

I have considered all over designs, but none that I can think of are particularly spectacular and I think with a quilt like this that an all over design will get lost to a large degree - so why quilt anything spectacular anyway?

So ... still thinking this one through. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

Of course - no pressure on myself - I want the quilt for Christmas 2009

Layers of thoughts & memories

2009-06-03T17:27:00.000-07:00

Here's another page from my sketchbook. This one will become part of a quilt I think. I liked the way the layers of this overlap each other, like memories or thoughts that come and fade from our minds. I've been thinking about ways to achieve these layers in textile form and have come up with a few different possibilities using sheers and interfacings.

Rubbish Quilts 6

2009-05-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

I've missed a few days blogging - new job and a head cold being the reason. The seasons are changing here and we are having lots of log fires and woollen jersey days, along with rain. Always rain in our temperate climate. At least there is quilting to cheer us up.

Rubbish Quilts 5

2009-05-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

Two days off!

2009-05-13T00:13:00.001-07:00

I've accepted a part-time job working 3 days a week. This will give me two days to quilt! I've begun with two days off and today, got down to the next step on a Christmas Quilt that I began in 2008 - laying out the pieces to see what's next - more peicing is the answer. I have the diagonal strips sewn in - now for the sides.

Hand Quilting

2009-05-12T00:17:00.000-07:00

In 2008 I went to a hand quilting class where we were practising on a 60cm square of calico with wool batting. I liked the organic flower shape so much that I continued the piece, then used shiva paintstiks to colour and finished it off as a round table centrepiece.