Here is a few closeups of the gorgeous black & white fabrics that have graced us with their presence recently.
I really love it when you can purchase the positive and negative in each print. These are just $21/m.
Stay tuned for some gorgeous NEW WILLIAM MORRIS FABRICS!!!
Also while Claire was here we did a little playing in the kitchen and i remembered seeing this recipe somewhere and managed to remember the ingredients - well at least I THINK so.
It is basically a lemon butter/cream thing with berries & sponge fingers and YES IT WAS DIVINE!!!
It was great to catch up with LOTS of you over the holidays both at Injune, visitors here and running into people in obscure places! It is always great to see pics from past workshops of projects FINISHED - YAY!!!! So keep at it and hopefully we will see YOUR finished project for SHOW N TELL at WHK Craft in the Country 2012!!!
Well we did finally get our Xmas Clover Club break up happening - even if it was a little later than first planned. The girls as usually have been busy creating beautiful "things" and it was great to see each other again!
Here is a pic of the day as we were about to start cleaning up - what does it tell you about the Clover Club girls I wonder..........
One thing for sure it definatley isn't just about the sewing!!!!
We also spent time with my friend Cathy's daughter Claire who came out for a little visit and kep the cherubs busy giving me some time to parcel up some goodies and clean out the "magic cupboard" in the shop.
Now the kids & Claire made use of the wonderful Accucutter machine - as you can see here -
These are my scraps - and they made LOTS of things - funnily enough I don't seem to have pics - I will have to check on Miss H's camera (that she got for xmas - sooooo exciting I was told) but they made dragonflies, beetles, butterflies, flowers and soooo much more - Master L also got right into it making a butterfly with swords as features on the wings and a pirates skull.....mmmm..... not sure about his creativity - maybe it was after seeing Pirates of the Caribbean 4?????
Anyway as you can see they had LOTS of Fun and thankyou so much to Claire for keeping them amused!
I was very fortunate to attend the Tara Patchwork group for the first time recently. Now I did have a couple of ladies that I had taught before in the class so it is always great to see some familiar faces and just as exciting to meet so many new people! Now the bargello is somewhat "different" and so while not "super super challenging" can pose a few little speed bumps along the way when you least expect it, The country version of mine was put together a little while ago starting on one of my visits to Cathy Gormans (previously Cowbelles Patchwork) with her design insight you could see the quilt coming together but of course not an overnight quilt! What we both loved is there is so much variation in these quilts if you wish! Now the Tara participants were great - I gave them a few options to give them some input into their quilts and they went away with the start of their "whoops" so that they could then play with their design!
I think now they may also be as addicted as I to the Clover Fork Pins - which are the best pins in the world - when piecing in MY opinion - I just LOVE them!!!
So here a few pics and as always I am sooo excited to see how the different colour ways work in these quilts. Just magic really!
Now I think I am one or 2 pics short = my apologies but I will try and source them and get them on here. But don't they look fantastic - all different and all very striking! Thankyou ladies for having me and I look forward to catching up with you again.
By the way - the Tara Hotel does FANTASTIC Meals! I should also mention I was very fortunate to have a travelling - well we didn't exactly travel together but lets just say had a few liquid refreshments together - it was quite warm after all!!! Thankyou Jane for providing much laughter and frivolity during my stay. Jane drove literally I think nearly 4 hours to attend the workshop and she was also very grateful to the Tara ladies for making her feel so welcome!!! It was a great weekend and I hope to see some pics very soon of completed quilt tops - they will be stunning!
Time has flown by and I am trying to catch up with some of the exciting adventures I have had during the year. Someone suggested I should write my "Memoirs of a Patchwork Teacher in Western Qld" perhaps........ or not - maybe I could mention the feral kid goat that was in the one class where the participant had to stop sewing and feed it every few hours and take it out to do it's "business" or perhaps there was the time that a bolt of fabric shimmied down to push the window button to open and nearly ended up with half the car of fabric toppling out onto a muddy dirt (just reopened) road somewhere between Taroom and Roma, or then there was the time I got to sleep in a lovely young fellows swag .......... without the young fellow!!!! Mmmmm maybe that is food for thought in my old age - ha! ha!
Anyway back to the task at hand. In November the lovey ladies of the Moonie ICPA (Isolated Children's Parents Association) had their annual Melbourne Cup Luncheon and as they had a "sewing/craft" theme this year I was very honoured in to being asked to be their guest speaker!
The ladies did a fantastic job and the luncheon was just absolutely delicious, the sports club looked splendid and every one had a great time. Now I tried to keep it relative to those who weren't "crafty" like us so touched on the trials and tribulations of starting a business "on farm" being a mum, etc of trying to keep a handle on it all! From all accounts I apparently did an OK job - see I TOLD you MOONIE ladies were very nice!!!!! And I wasn't chased out of the place so all was good. A huge thankyou must go to Arlie, REbel & Sonia for putting me up/putting up with me and feeding me and supplying me with liquid sustenance!!!!!! And to Lynelle for organising me!!!!
Here are a few pics from the day - some even made it into the QCL - sorry Queensland Country Life - the "Bible" out here. The paper we get every Thursday that consists of the latest rural news, cattle markets & properties for sale (which all the men read first) (From the back to the front usually)AND the social pages (which all the women read first). I think this explains sometimes why new teachers fresh from the city think that many country boys are dislexic - they watch their fathers read and so they start reading from the back of the book and from right to left!!!! - well a funny theory anyway!
Oooh and yes did I mention it was another good excuse to buy a hat!!! Yes most of you know by now I do have a thing about hats! And of course from Cheeky Girl in Miles (and the dress was from there too of course) - oooh and the resin necklace from Coomber Bros in Roma!!! They have the most gorgeous colours at the moment.
Now also I must comment that Lynelle did pretty well taking this photo as I am the least photogenic person in the world - but I did have a lady comment that hadn't met me prior to seeing this photo and said how in the photo I look much taller/ and I think she was eluding to heavier?????? So can I now say that photos make me look bigger than I really am??????ha! Ha! sounds like a good excuse?????
It was a lovely day - even if the horse I received in the sweep I think is still running!!!
Thankyou ladies for a lovely day and Congrats on such a wonderful Community Event!
Yes it never seems to be a week go by that we get an exciting new package of goodies arrive. Be it heavenly threads or gorgeous fabrics. They are just too hard to resist!
Our newest items are as follows:
As you will see it has the gorgeous denimy blues through to a tan/brown. These are just $42 each and I have 4 yardages that goes with them. I will post them very soon.
The gorgeous Blueberry Crumb Cake - and it is just yummy - just like the date loaf with butterscotch sauce I just polished off for morning tea! Very naughty but very nice! I'm frustrated lately that the coffee shops I have been attending have food that doesn't taste as good as mine at home - shouldn't it be part of the coffee & cake experience to have something super yummy when you go out for a treat?
Maybe I'm too fussy but it just tastes the same o - now homemade date loaf with freshly made butterscotch sauce - mmmmmmm shouldn't - but you only live once!
Yes what didn't seem that long...... well maybe to me - I checked my posts and it has been quite some time since I have posted - so sorry! Life has been very hectic - for everyone!
So we have lots to catch up on!
November was a workshop in Quilpie - and what a fantastic class. We had the ladies doing the converging and they did a fantastic job with a great variety in colours!
The ladies were very industrious with those not doing the raw edge applique - even after much "Encouragment" they were able to start quilting their wallhanging. AND those that were making a quilt were able to get quite a great deal achieved with their centres coming together!
Well done ladies!
It is always very exciting to announce a new class and I am EXTRA excited about this one! This is the Patchaway class (more details available to those groups who choose to book this class of course!) and it involves utilising those fabrics with large motifs - and no don't worry it isn't a difficult stack n wack or kaleidoscope! This is easy and fun but it does have some of those elements in that it is very randomn & VERY EXCITING!
Now the Wednesday Clover Club girls have been tearing through these quilts and were more than happy for me to use them to show you all how fantastic the variations are! We have lots of new fabrics in store that these quilts would suit. So if your group is wondering which class to choose for 2012 - why not consider this one!
Karen's Central Park
Virginia's Kaffe Fassett
Neitta's stash buster on point!
Neitta's other stashbuster! I bet many of you have these type of fabrics in your stash but don't quite know what to do with them!
A touch of oriental & batik and it worked out so well!
Here are the last 2 backings for a while - this now gives us in excess of 25 backings on hand. I am still working on getting each group a sample card with them on for ease of choice but if you are chasing something in the meantime please let me know and I am more than happy to send you some snips to make your decision easier.
The Yellow is a lemon background with a darker yellow swirl
These are both 275cm wide and $26/m
And the classic Black & White!
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A new product in stock is the Mary Ellen's Best Press CLEAR STARCH ALTERNATIVE - as Seen in many Quilting DVD's of late. This product can be purchased in non-scented or scented - (We have the non-scented at this point). I am going to test it tonight but I have heard VERY good things about it - it is clear and so leaves no residue on fabric or irons - doesn't flake even on dark fabrics, no clogging, acid free, relaxes stubborn wrinkles, makes cloths soil-resistant plus many more wonderful claims.
It comes in a 473ml trigger pack = which means you get much more than in your standard aerosol and is $14 per bottle.!
And now here is one of those products born from necessity - this is an ergonomic rotary cutter - to the extreme. It is designed for people who have trouble using the traditional rotary cutters and plus it comes with a small name place so it can be personalised. This design gives a great cut without the pressure sometimes required with a standard rotary cutter and so is much easier to use for those people suffering arthritis or lack the strength to cut at times. $35 EACH.
This is Hippy Yippee - and is only $17/m!!!
We had some more of Central Park arrive after seeing how fantastic it looked in a quilt that will be a new class for 2012!!! All $21/m very fresh!
Daisy Swirl - another great one for our new class with a large print with a repeat - can't wait to see how this one works out $18.50/m
Gorgeous black & red butterflies teamed up with a jacquard circle black and satinesque red - $21/m
AND now for the BATIK LOVERS - it is always soooooo difficult to find fabrics suitable for boy/mens or non floral lovers quilts - so here they are!!! Gorgeous Batiks in either a beige through to chocolate (nutmeg), blues through to navys and to contrast why not pick the light cream through to beige Jelly Roll - And for Gorgeous Batik quality just $53 each.
The new Moda Prairie Paisley II Range - just gorgeous Fat Quarter Bundle $168 and provides great value working out to approximately $16.80/m
So stay tuned for more goodies arriving all the time!
Yes we had a few late comers finally turn up but so as you get an idea of what they look like with the other existing backings I have taken another lot of photos with all the different colourways together!
And this is the "upclose" design on some of the new ones
They look great and wash up really well - they are a great quality PLUS the design doesn't look too directional so that you can put it any way!
It is always difficult to find lovely good quality backings that have a bit of variety. Well we have now over 20 backings in stock with another parcel ready to pick up with 4 more! So here are the pics of what we have in stock at the moment. Now what I also hope to do in the next week or so is to get each group to whom I teach at a laminated copy of snips of these backings so you know what I have in stock so you can compare!
So please let me know if you wish to order any of these and I hope to have the few extra new ones up soon also. I will also put them into a photo album (if I remember how!) on the sidebar which means they will be easier to refer to in the future!
The middle blue has the same little dots in a swirl that is on the green below!
These three are all flannels!
These range from $22 - $28/m and are either 240cm or 275cm wide. The Wider ones generally allow you to get your length of the quilt out of the width of the backing making it even more economical. Stay tuned for even more new colours!
This is one of my favourite new ranges at the moment - Terrain. We had a "sneak peak" order a little while ago of just the jelly rolls - and now the yardage has arrived. We are still waiting for the fat quarter bundles!
These colours so saturated and rich - just love them! I can see a 4 patch (NEW CLASS FOR 2012)coming up in these! $21/m
And would you believe it - I ordered these back in February - and they have arrived now - in spring!! BUT it is at a great price - $15.50/m!!! Be quick at this price for lovely flannel. Would make great kids quilts or quilts of love!
Now I will be away for a few days at my parents visiting with the kids but Jeff will be at home if you wish to place any orders. I will be back Sat/Sun after attending Rick & Alice Greenup's Bull Sale at Eidsvold www.greenup.com.au and catching up with a few old friends!
I have lots to post on the latest from the clover club groups & more!!! We will also be attending sales in Roma over the next week so if you want anything dropped off just let us know!
Yes it did happen even though it looked like we were only going to be able to make it as "workers" as after 3 inches the weekend I was at Moonie and then 60 points on the Friday before the draft - the chance of getting the truck and horses out looked pretty grim. BUT due to the AWFUL wind it dried out enough for us to get out. So it turned out really well with DH WINNING his draft on the ever special "Lynx" - who is the king of the horses at our place. He is getting on in age and still thinks he is about 8! This gelding really is a special part of the family and is full of personality and is just a big sook. For those interested his grandfather is Docs Spinifex and he was broken and trained by Ian Francis - so not only is he a lovely kind horse - he is VERY handy!
And Jeff LOVES riding him - Lynx LOVES cattle and so they make a pretty good combination. Needless to say I didn't get to ride my recent purchase "Stylish" which was in fact one of the main reasons in buying her - so I could DRAFT her but after a recent contract mustering day with DH she came home lame! Not happy Jan! So DH is still trying to make up for that one and seems genuinely remorse that my good horse was not able to be drafted. BUT I did take old reliable Jessie - who is lots of fun on but not much good in the camp - but considering everything we did quite well to get around first peg but blew it on the second - there were in fact only 4 rounds completed out of all of the nominations!
Then the kids had fun in the beginners with Little L getting 2nd and Miss H getting 4th!
So guess what after all the lack of enthusiasm in packing gear, getting horses ready and 2 of them suffering with Man Flu, me doing a "raw prawn" to get them all organised - THEY all had a ball and really enjoyed the draft - AND they bought home TROPHIES - I enjoyed the DRAFT, did LOTS of the work and came home with NOTHING!!!! Oh the joy of motherhood!
Anyway it was a great local draft with lots of time for the kids and a real sense of community and a happy spirit within the competitors throughout the day with some friendly rivalry.
Thankyou to Alana Williams of SPADE AW Photography for these proofs which she kindly at the draft - I can't wait for my order of the "real" ones to arrive.
Jeff's big coat makes him look even musclier - is that a word - LOL!!!!
And the little darlings - ours are at each end! Still not quite sure where Little Master L gets his long legs from!!
OH AND YES STILL LOOKING FOR KIDS HORSES!!!!
This steer was a little excited and was lining me up in the camp!
Oh and by the way - Yes I'm wearing one of those gorgeous shirts that I'm addicted to - made from 100% cotton - PATCHWORK FABRIC - and they are from What2Ware - Jen Geddes has these fantastic shirts made and they are comfortable, practial and wash up sooo well. I wear mine all the time and they still look like new. Her website is www.what2ware.com.au and by the way - I have a new on coming in the Caitlyn which is part of the Gypsy Bandana series of fabric that I have in store - just gorgeous!!! So let Jen know where you saw them - its great to support another country person in their business!!!
Thankyou to everyone who helped out at the draft - it never ceases to amaze me the community spirit of the Wallumbilla area - people who didn't ride, didn't have kids that rode but turned up happily to help - with our little group we could not have done it without you all. THANKYOU. To our cattle donors - Selwyn & Jocelyn Maller, Steve & Grace Gray & Colin & Shauny Maunder, our announcer Neville Maunder, Judge Nathan Maller and to EVERYONE that helped in someway THANKYOU!
I must admit - we had a BALL just LOVED IT!
A new take on an old favourite - French Braid - the Moonie girls dived in to my new "Spring French Braid" class. I looove teaching and my favourite part is seeing how each individual's quilt turns out completely different to the class sample. Just by using different fabrics or a little change here or there it is endless the variety that we get to see by the end of the weekend.
Thankyou sooo much to Arlie, Rebel & Sonia for organising things and looking after me sooooo well. Also thankyou for my "roomy" Jan for another enjoyable weekend - this time without a little barking dog...... - yes we know it was our fault! The ladies always make me feel so welcome and it is a pleasure to teach such a lovely enthusiastic group!
So here are some pics - I have 1 group one and then a couple of individuals but I am finding that some people have a knack of disappearing at photo time....... I would never do that myself - would I!!!!
So here they are - from table runners to the partial quilts to cushions and near completed quilts the girls did soo well!!
Arlie's
Clare's
Kay's
Rebel's
Cathy's
Haven't they done a fantastic job?
Oh and here is my class sampler - sorry DH isn't quite tall enough to hold out the entire quilt - it has 5 braids - so is now around 100" x 90" but the class quilt isn't quite this large - I seem to be making a bit of a habit of expanding my own quilts into very large ones!
Well the opening for the Quintessential Exhibition was on Friday night and the Dogwood Xing foyer and gallery was packed! You could not move which was fantastic to see. Now in the end there were 17 artists' work accepted into the exhibition - and there were a few of us fortunate to have all of our pieces selected.
Ms Sandy Pottinger (Artist, Arts Writer, Art Critic for the Toowoomba Chronicle and former lecturer in Visual Arts at the University of Southern Queensland selected the works and opened the gallery . She spoke about the exhibition and in particular about the importance of the artist statements that accompanied each piece and were placed next to them in the gallery.
Her comments were as follows:-
The brief for this exhibition was spelled out very clearly. "Quintessential" was to provide an opportunity for artists to share an insight or reflection about themselves. The artist was invited to create an artwork, that suggests, even documents, a personal journey that explores and reflects, and ultimately connects the artist with what it is that "makes them tick" and effectively keeps them grounded in life. This is powerful, personal stuff that can impact on others: friends, family, and the community Private thoughts can become public statements. Transforming personal experience into art can be alarming as well as cathartic, but when shared, it can empower others.i
In a way "Quintessential" is about creating a complex self portrait, but not in the usual, obvious sense of actually painting a self portrait, but rather, how an individual depiction of a landscape, an apple, a tree, in fact, any subject, can be a reflection of the artist through interpretation, technique, choice of materials, and indeed through the use of all the elements and principles of composition.
The goals for this exhibition included:
1. To connect artists on a personal level with their art practice
2. To enhance the understanding of the impact their values and morals can have upon others
3. To explore the essence of what it is that makes each individual who they are, and why this is vitally important
4. To encourage artists to provide a more in-depth expression of their work through an artist statement defining each artwork.
This last point about writing an artist statement is important because, contrary to the rather pretentious cop-out used by some aspiring artist's that "their work speaks for them", art rarely speaks for itself or the artist, and often both need all the help they can get! Art is primarily about communication but sometimes this can get lost in the translation. An artist statement eases the communication, it explains, it may tantalize, but it also helps the artist to share: to share tehir vision, their experience, and their passion, and even their influences. It helps to make creativity accessible to those who have an interest but little knowledge or personal experience of the visual arts.
Selecting work to be included in this exhibition was a challenge made more so by the fact that too many of the artists seemed not to have read what was required or had interpreted it in a way that they hoped would fit some existing artwork. Many seemed to miss the point, the artist statements in many cases merely described the work with little attempt to relate it to a personal work ethic that reflected their individual response, or introduced core values, or charted conceptual development. Those who did seriously address the issues raised have rewarded the viewer with subtle insights into personal motiviation as well as a passionate exploration of imagery that demands to be expressed.
Now to have a look at my artists statements at this stage you will have to go to the exhibition and have a look as they are posted next to my pieces!!! But for those who can't make it I may post them on here at a later date!!!
So there you have it - now here are some pics - portions and the whole.
Please Note: These images are subject to copyright and are not to be reproduced and may not be reprinted/images used without written consent of the artist.
AND I have sold 2 pieces - "Country Women's Beauty" & "Country Values"
"Country Values - thread painting and digital imaging
"Hands Speak Volumes" Thread Sketch
"Country Values, "Hands Speak Volumes" & "Country Women's Beauty"
The display in the gallery - my section!
A portion of "Country Women's Beauty" Including threadwork and wet felting
A couple of portions of the thread painting in "Country Values" Blending, building etc.
But in Art it is actually more about the piece and how it works with the theme rather than what techniques are used etc and how particular you are about them - a little bit of a learning curve for a perfectionist "technique" person.!!!
So now to get onto class samples and thinking about next years exhibition.!!!
