Team Ali

This is Team Ali - avid and passionate supporters of art quiltmaking and fibre arts more generally. One is nearly 60kg, the other about 4 kg - and who would have figured the little one rules! Both were "rescued" and I couldn't have asked for better companions or givers of feedback on my quilts - they would just love to lie on them!

Untouched by man ....

Mornington Island is, in part, an unspoiled wilderness and there are times when you could believe yours are the only footprints ... until you come across this. Even so, the opportunity to be inspired by a pattern or design arises.

Fun with tissues

This is a small experiment with tissue paper - where blue acrylic was squeezed onto the LH edge, and yellow acriylic squeezed onto the other. Using an old credit card the two were drawn to gether in the middle - then set aside to dry. Next a template, made from PVA glue on baking paper, was placed over the left side and gold paint sprayed on to create the "building effect". Some florists wrappping as well as tuille was placed in various parts of the "painting" before being free motion quilted to the background tissue. The flowers were then stitched randomly across the base - it was a lot of fun and thanks to Dale Rollerson at the Thread Studio for such a great adventure with Playways (see the website http://www.thethreadstudio.com.au for details)

"X" marks the spot

Just thought I'd share the answer to a common question - this is a photo taken from our friends' property across the valley - and "x" is where we are - nestled at the base of the Main range national Park and between Cunningham's Gap, Mount Castle, Mount Fraser and Mount Edwards. The view from M&J's place isn't bad either .....

Empty Nests - part I

I've started a series of bowls / nests - using silk top and hand-dyed organza / chiffon. It is sumptuous stuff - here's another in the series that used deep purple silk, some merino, torn tea bag papers (thanks again to everyone at work who contributed to the collection of papers) and other threads - then beaded around the rim. Tons of fun!

I've been experimenting with lino cuts, based on aerial views (Macair style) of the Gulf of Carpentaria heading across from the mainland to Mornington Island. The patterns made in the double tide lines when leaving the mainland are equisite. The drawings are first made in a journal (top left), then transferred to the lino for carving (bottom left). The first print was made onto paper, before printing on raw silk which was then stitched with various threads, including metallics to capture the shimmer of afternoon sun.

Happy New Creative 2010

We woke up this morning to intermittent sunshine and had returned to semi-human status after a great night's sleep. We had an absolute hoot in Sydney on the 29th for Maxine's birthday dinner but have agreed that 22 hours of driving in 38 is not for the feint-hearted. Maxine loved her quilted journal cover that included a journal with black and white prints of her childhood years stitched onto the pages by Sue - after being selected and preserved on CD by Judy - a real family effort that will be a wonderful reminder of the great 70th birthday ... Happy Birthday Maxine. We fired up the oven yesterday from lunch time and baked our bread for the week, then a roast and followed up with pizzas for dinner - tried some of the recipes Chris got for Christmas for gourmet toppings to diet for - yum. Today we'll use the leftover heat to dry trays of tomatoes which are threatening to split after more drizzle and rain last night.

iQuilt managed to get published last night - thanks to Nora's persistent and untiring efforts to do so - and we both hope it's going to be a back-on-track year for us in 2010. I've been reading the SAQA posts and it is a terrific resource for art quilters and fibre artists - there's just so much talent there - as there is with many groups of like-talented people so I'll commit to participating more fully in the groups I've joined.

Wishing you and yours a terrific and peace-filled 2010 - wherever you find yourself - and ltos of blog posts as well.

Alison