Journal to Quilt - the journey continues



Stitching in progress ...

 I missed didn't miss the deadline for State of the Art Quilt 2011 - so this will have to won't be my entry to the Queensland Quilters annual Quilt Show later this year - the original journal entry has been copied and I'm highlighting the various sections as they transfer to the quilt top ... a road here ... a suburb there .... and really enjoying all the handwork, buttons, beads and various threads transforming the surface.  Thank you 2QAQ - can't wait for the February meeting ... only 20 19 more sleeps.

Silk on silk and serendipity



Journalling the suekate*

 Drawing and/or journalling have been really useful development tools for many artists, as well as a creativity record. The silk panel has been tea-dyed for 30 minutes in Liptons Intense [3 x bags; 1 x litre of near-boiling water; leave 30 minutes, rinse and iron] and was cut to a square (8.5" x 8.5") replacing a 16 piece section of the pieced silk squares. I preferred the vine pattern in the panel to run vertically (yesterday's trial had it horizontal and a 16.5" x 8.5" section). *I've called this part of the process suekate (pronounced soo-car-tee) a noun (n) and verb (v)  meaning (1) the sisterhood of creativity (2) the generosity of spirit in gifting, coming from the words Sue (meaning sister) and Kate (meaning friend). Hope you have a few suekates in your life too.


Tea-dyed silk panel



the finished top ...

 

Mug Rug Challenge completed.



Mug Rugs

I've completed a set of two mug rugs for my challenge recipient - which is a secret. She requested "muffins, coffee, kitchen things" and I responded with black whole cloth, Shiva sticks and not a muffin in sight.  However, I'll also be making something more kitcheny to send along with the art-quilt version of a mug rug. Just a really, really big postcard ......  Lots of fun and can't wait for posting day (14 February) so they can begin their journey to France. Thanks to quilting bloggers for running the challenge (330 of us are participating from around the globe) and I can't wait to see someone's interpretation of my request for "anything blue".

Inspired by Roses and a piece of Ricky Tims



Inspired by Roses

 Study in red and analogous colours inspired by Liz's beautiful roses - there is a bit of a thrill standing back and "seeing" something as if for the first time - not always easy - and the neutral fabric is none other than by Ricky Tims. Go figure. I went all the way to the La Veta diner, Colorado to meet him in the flesh and I could have had  found him at Maynards Store in downtown Boonah all along. Sigh.

Dulany Lingo photography

Smoke bush leaves by Dulany Lingo

It only took 2 weeks to get Dulany's beautiful photograph of smoke bush leaves framed and ready to hang. It has taken me 3+ months to take a photo of it and say a proper "thanks" to Dulany for a beautiful reminder of our days in the Rio Grande and La Veta, Colorado last September.

I've been "schwabe'd"

Seriously - a few weeks ago when the floods and tsunami roared through the neighbourhood I happened to end up in an email with Alison Schwabe and Jenny Bowker - they'd been having a conversation in SAQA - and since then I've been indirectly inspired to be more than usually exuberant and "why not?" in the studio. This super activity could be the reason behind a brief hospital stay last week - and when queried by the Doctor about what I'd been doing immediately before the event - I replied "hand sewing at my studio table."  I know he didn't believe me. So, confined to quarters for a short while, I'm being very restful and quiet and catching up on a whole lot of overdue reading.

Why I start reading quilt books and the like from the back cover will remain one of life's mysteries. My interest was perked by what was clearly a plagiarised version of Alison Schwabe's free motion cutting tutorial (available from her blog site). I couldn't believe that someone would be so brazen to actually copy her process almost word for word  into a book. I only accessed it from her blog site in recent weeks. And then I turned forward a page and ... it was an article written by Alison Schwabe.  Everyone relax - I'd just been "schwabe'd". The book is a great art quilt resource from the Quilters Guild of  New South Wales - Quilt Skills. Sadly, I need to return it to its rightful owner .. thanks for the loan Maxine.

To pick or unpick ... WMBM decides

Out with the uncomplimentary complementary

 

In with the replacement squares


Definitely an improvement - and endorsed by WMBM who may have never made a quilt, but knows his colours! 800+ Australian natives and other colourful bushes planted by WMBM can't be wrong. It's keeping me off the streets ...