A tribute to Y-Fronts

Go figure. I spent most of today making a pennant for Quilts4London that I could take to the April 2QAQ meeting - and use as a workshop example. What I ended up with (and how I didn't see this before WMBM pointed it out is beyond me) is a tribute to Y-Fronts.. Definitely NOT going to London ... but may well make it to 2QAQ for a giggle. Can anyone imagine receiving this on a stick with  two dangling tassels after breaking the world record for the 100 metre sprint??? What was I thinking?

2QAQ April meeting and Quilts4London pennants

The old girl guide is coming out in me now ... be prepared! So in readiness for the 2QAQ meeting in April I'm getting ready for our pennant workshop supporting quilts4london where every Olympian and Para Olympian will receive a pennant made by a quilter or textile artist from across the globe. Imagine that. Some 16,000 pennants are needed. The wood turners of the world (not excluded by quarantine I presume) are being asked to make hanging rods, and the braid and cord people of the world are also working on tassels and the like .... the textile and timber Olympics perhaps? Perusing the gallery of the 600+ pennants already received I came across this distinctly Australian contribution - by our own Jan McPike, a member of 2QAQ. Titled "Australian Red Gum" the pennant comprises hand printed gum leaves, machine quilted and hand beaded. It is another beautiful piece by Jan. Back to preparations for the April meeting ...

Pocket challenge from The Thread Studio

Dale Rollerson is running a pick-a-pocket challenge through The Thread Studio. Apart from the "why not?" aspect, it seemed like another great way to stretch - so I gave myself a 6 hour time frame - and spent the first two going "nup" "no" and "oh dear"  and a variant of "blessed bovine" ... before finding a piece of fabric that lent itself to the double challenge! Using Madeira soluble a "shadow" dragonfly was created in black thread (actually it took two attempts)  and it was stitched to the pocket front - as if the source of light was coming from  the other side. The orange silk thread used to secure it was intended to diffuse the sheer black but it may just end up looking like really bad applique! Beads for berries and some green silk to define leaf veins .. add a 3-D leaf and butterfly. Lots of fun and anyone who would like to participate has until March 25 to create some pocket magic.(And apologies: the rules preclude me from sharing the finished pocket for now so here's the one from Dale's website)

Gulf Streams - a new series

The Studio Art Quilt Association (SAQA) is an organisation where you can take as much or as little as you need - quite literally. About the middle of 2010 it felt like I was on a launch pad, engines burbling and ready for lift off. These days I'm in outer space, tethered lovingly to the ground by a few people and organisations whose influence, input and encouragement  have guided my professional development as an artist. SAQA's mentoring and visioning programs have offered me the support and tools to transition from "passionate quilter" to "professional artist". Part of that professional development relates to the creation of bodies of works, and Gulf Streams is a new series that will be my focus over coming weeks... and months. The lino cut was inspired by  my time working with the Mornington Island community in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The cliffs on one part of the island meet the swirling waters of the Gulf and the debris of washed up offerings lies on the upper most tidal mark. Dugong, turtle and crocodile inhabit the fast moving waters. Exquisitely large snakes frequent the warm road shoulders in the late afternoons.  Mornington, Bentink and Sweers Islands are some of the most beautiful and unmolested places on earth and I hope the yet-to-be created series goes some way to doing that beauty justice.

Tea Bag Lamp



Light of my studio

 One of my all time favourite things is this lamp, made using black cotton and recycled tea bag papers -  by little sister and acquired by moi at least 10 years ago. Some of the papers are heavily stained with tannins - reddish, pinkish, brown - and others are the result of people who dunk just a few times to vaguely colour the water. Tea bag papers have had a special place ever since - appearing with Angelina fibres in post cards or sprinkled with dyes and inks ... for use in some other project. They've been torn into strips and found their way into bowls or nests, laying quietly beside kitchen string and silk threads of unknown origins.




Power off ....

 

Storm front @ 31 degrees

More site lines that are sight lines. Chocolate earth, the black soil of the Fassifern, smells good enough to eat. Not. This is seriously tempting for stitch lines. Sometimes in the rush of "get-to-work-mornings" it is nice to stop. A shop front. A wall of bricks.A paddock freshly ploughed.

Paddock clearing this afternoon ahead of the storm coming up from the New South Wales border region, about 200 kilometres across and looking like we will catch its edge.

And here it comes, pushing towards the coast, sending rumblings our way. It is still 31 degrees on the verandah and time to log off!

And the recipient of a TEXTILE magazine subscription is .....

Lexie ... I really hope you enjoy TEXTILE for the next twelve months! Thanks for leaving a comment !