A bridge (not) too far ...

The cranes have arrived, the featherless variety, and are working on our new bridge. It is strange and exciting - everything is crossed that the works are completed without another flood over the summer ... for now I'm enjoying the "detour" and checking out the many thousands of plants that have been planted along the banks of Warrill Creek The old well from the pumpkin paddock stands alone in what is now the "new", significantly wider creek bed. One day we'll forget all the adventurous inconvenience; I just hope we never take the new bridge for granted. Ever.

Quilt, teabags and exploring domesticity

Kim Schoenberger's works using recycled tea bags are amazing. Several tea bag inspired pieces are part of the Teasing the Domestic exhibition currently at the The Centre, Beaudesert. Quilt is the standout - with the tea bags retaining their used leaves. This is a delightful exhibition that includes the World Tea Cosy competition  coordinated by Miles Regional Council. Sponsored by Artslink Queensland, The Centre is located at 82 Brisbane Street, Beaudesert. (Teasing the Domestic runs until 18 December 2013; Tuesday to Friday 10am - 4pm; Saturdays 10am - 2pm).

[Images by permission The Centre, (c) Kim Schoenberger]

Playing with layers

While visiting Adelaide for the Festival of Quilts I picked up a small pack of  fabrics which are proving useful for learning the skills of hand appliqué and playing with layers. All it took was some inspiration from Cath B, expert tuition and advice from Jane Madly Quilting and a beautiful (now empty) tin of Bassett's Licorice Allsorts for storage - just about perfect!

Adelaide's Festival of Quilts and SAQA

The Festival of Quilts is over for another year - the standard of quilts in all categories was amazing - possibly the best I've seen all year and it was a real treat to be able to meet many SAQA members and welcome new members to our group. What a surprise to receive two felted name tags from Judy George - made life a lot easier for everyone! Many thanks to Bron, Jenny, Prue  and the rest of the South Australian guild for their warm welcome and looking after us for the duration of the show. The SAQA exhibition had its final outing in Adelaide before returning to the US. As with other venues throughout 2013, the exhibition was well received and the four days talking, living and breathing art quilts was an absolute joy. Can't wait to return in 2014.

Stanthorpe Arts Festival 2014

Detail image

Perhaps finishing the binding on a quilt and watching Whitechapel (ABC1) should be kept as separate exercises. Lucky there's no blood spatter on the quilt top this morning. WMBM and I nearly jumped out of our collective skins! The binding finishes my entry for the biennial Stanthorpe Arts Festival 2014,  with entries closing soon. Looking forward to attending the opening next February.

Print making in the studio

A rare and beautiful thing to have a couple of days at home to simply play in the studio. The conversations of onion pickers drift across the paddocks and the trees sing of spring as the breeze plays through their leaves. Added some more "colour" using a silky oak leaf from last week - well preserved with layers of textile paint it then disintegrated (as it should) while donating itself to a last layer of print on my clean up cloth. 

Adelaide's Festival of Quilts ... five more sleeps

Adelaide's Festival of Quilts kicks off next week and runs from Thursday 7 November through to Sunday 10 November at the show grounds in Wayville (Adelaide). This year, instead of spending money on direct advertising the guild collected blocks from members and they became this quilted car cover -SAQA's "This is a Quilt" travelling trunk show will have its final outing at the Festival of Quilts before returning to the US. I'll be at the show each day giving floor talks on the SAQA exhibition and giving demonstrations of different processes and techniques used in art quiltmaking. Hope to see you at the show.