Smart Arts Christmas Party

Hello and Apologies! I was desperately trying to spend more time in November actually doing craft... especially since in October I worked out I had almost spent more time online blogging and reading. Then I tried to merge two google accounts, which went quite well except I couldn't save my reading list to the new one (even from scratch) So again apologies for not visiting reading and commenting or even posting.

So Novembers big event was meeting all the lovely ladies at the Smart Arts 'Fabric' Group (I use the term broadly as there are many artistic and adventurous ladies so there is no limit to the wonders of fabric) This was the Christmas break up on the 19th...They (we) also planned some of the calendar events for the new year, fabric dying, fabric painting and all sorts of other product education sessions - its going to be amazing :)

For secret santa presents we were limited to $10. So I made a pouch... and then filled it with bag fixings and wrapped it in fabric :) I was happy with how it turned out.

Below are a variety of pics that I took over the afternoon... Starting with the show and tell - apologies to the ladies I was so excited I have forgotten who did what!

 A picture set on canvas utilizing nature and fabric

 A major hexie piece!

 A series of fabric dying techniques

 You rmemember the 'copper' quilt from the redlands exhibition, this is Lyn with 3 'inktense' artworks she completed in a week

 There are two of these display books - one is for ADC's but I can't remember which is Helen's and which is Marianna's

The work is stunning I am truly blessed to have fallen amongst such a group of ladies, and hope that I can learn and maybe share a few things too :)

Now for the people shots....

 A special cake for Betty's 80th

Small blog meet - Fresh Sewing Day

Well hello to any new bloggers who may wander in! I am joining Lynne's small blog meet again as I am currently sitting on 9, I also hope to travel around and meet more people and see lots of wonderful things being made - as always :) A big thank you to Lynne for helping us all out!

I am combining the blogs as I only have one finished item to post - my silk scarf in tones of orange... Go here to see the whole thing and use the pattern :) The only thing left to do is to press or set it (I haven't tried that before so I'll let you know)

 

Overall I am really happy with how it turned out, and it filled in those evenings by myself when G was oncall :)

CanTeen quilt update

Ok well a while ago I posted about my bandanas arriving... A few things have happened since then, I have worked out that I have three colour groups that I like...

 The pinks and purples

The blues whites and yellows

 and the one I started with the black red and hints of yellow and blue

Then I added some bold solids - I have to add that with this colour palette I was thinking of guys, cos everyone needs to use a quilt :)

 and selected a backing... (bottom right)

Then I took some time to play with patterns...  the trick was to pay the quilt out in a way to work with the featured bandanas both visually and size wise.

The one I chose for these colours was the pattern with large square in a square blocks (or log cabin variation) alternating with the bandanas. 

The beggining

The first blocks...

A stack of blocks trimmed to size...

A stack of bandana quarters trimmed to size, some I had to unpick the hem because I wanted to feature the text around the outside...

The quilt top all laid out ready to sew together, I just need the dedication block for the missing space (thanks Vicki for the idea )

Its definitely busy, and believe me those pieced blocks do weird things out of the corners of your eyes lol! However its not for me, and I think it works alright together... please give me your thoughts x

A change of direction - silk yarn

One of my 'evil' purchases at the Craft and Quilt expo was this gorgeous silk yarn

It has a wonderful sheen, is hand dyed and I particularly fell for the variegated... Anyone who is interested the yarn is by Alchemy but I warn you the price is not for the faint hearted - that was my "evil' part as I didn't strictly need it lol... However I think that I will easily get a dainty scarf per ball so that makes one or two for me and some great presents ready for Christmas :) - and there is my justification!

So while I have been resting from my weeding and quilting, I have been sitting watching TV and crocheting - which I have been unable to do for the last 2.5 years due to the vertigo and other forms of dizziness. I have to say it is wonderful to be getting full capacity back :). Although I've stayed optimistic and positive all the way through, its amazing to be able to do ordinary things without wondering what the repercussions will be. This will make you laugh - there was a period when I was having a brilliant day if I could wash my hair! lol and this period lasted months! Rofl! Isn't life amazing, have you noticed that often when we are given a challenge it leads to so many other benefits in the long run? Please let me know of your experiences :)

Ok back to the yarn.... I decided to do a simple grid pattern, its really easy simply chain stitch as long as you want the scarf to be wide (keeping it in multiples of your grid ie my grid is 3 so I chained 27) Then to start you need to chain an additional number of stitches to equal the length of a row stitch and the across (this will make sense in a minute)...then I decided to use a double treble stitch (which equals 4 chain stitches) to give some height to each row (here if you don't know the stitch), so the basic pattern is;
a. chain 4 (4 for the pretend db tr)
b. db tr  - repeat in every stitch across the chained run, for row one as a base.
c. chain 6 (4 for the pretend db tr and 2 normal) then
d. 1 db tr then 2 ch - repeat this step all the way across the row...
e. repeat steps c. and d. until the scarf is as long as you would like

For added interest you can add in solid patches like I have - once you've established the grid its easy - instead of the 2ch replace it with 2 db tr, I just di this by sight, some rows have none with some up to 3 depending on what felt right.

Hope this helps

and now its finished....

with a tiny amount of silk left over in case I decide it needs tassels of some sort...

A blast from the past...

Lately I have been thinking more about getting back into my art, don't get me wrong I still do it :) but more on a needs must, or gifts basis than just for the pure pleasure. A friend found a guy nearby who is a well known artist Philip Farley, and I'm hoping to soon arrange to have some classes with him :) In preparation I dug up some of my old stuff (he likes to see your style) and I thought that I would share....

 'Gail Force' was a filler piece to expand my year 11 collection (age 17) I'm not a fan of pencil detail as its soo much work! lol

The Seagulls were a study for one of my paintings  - they're not correct in their angles but I like them nevertheless

This group is a collection that I drew on a pad while spending the afternoon in the Munch museum in Oslo Norway - it was electric, truly a spiritual experience. The top pic he made a few prints, my exchange sisters parents owned one! In the middle picture can you see a man cradling her neck? I didn't till years after drawing it...

This is a quick sketch done of the George Town Lighthouse (Tasmania) where I would go for both peace and inspiration I was on the steep slope in front and only the top peeked out over the bushes - its done in ink with a stick I found.

The Brisbane Craft and Quilt Expo...

Well I decided that since I have been doing so well with the dizzy giddies lol that I would 'challenge' (treat) myself by going into the city and checking out the Expo last Thursday. It was madness! I thought that by going on a week day I would miss some of the crowd - and I may have done - however it was still chock solid people! Heaps of stalls with product and ideas, everything from quilting through all needlecraft to scrap booking and decoupage... The most exciting part and my main reason for going though was the exhibition, and I have to say it was bigger brighter and more amazing than I imagined.... I took a few hundred photos so please enjoy the ones below :)
Also because there are sooo many I'm not including the pics with the info on them... apologies - if you need more let me know and I'll try and find it! Also they are small as there is 136 (Grab a coffe/tea and a biscuit) but if you click on them it gives you a bigger pic... Sorry re any blurry ones - getting a people free gap was tricky... ok shutting up now :)

Best in show

Judges Choice, Second professional textile art - Yay! this is by Lynne Williams 'Lust for Copper' I am joining they're quilting group 'Arty Pants' and hope to learn a lot!

You may remember it in this picture from the Redlands Extravaganza...

First open machine system quilter

Best hand quilting (hand pieced too)

First amateur small quilt

Best use of colour

First amateur pieced

Best Traditional Quilt

First Professionally pieced

Sorry this is so blurry - it is just cute and the colours worked well

Second professionally pieced

I put this one in, because the fish are cut from fabric and the effect is quite good

First Professional Applique (1800 leaves) please zoom in on the shot below to see a sample of the detail all over

Second Professional Applique

Third Amateur commercially quilted

 The Next 8 Quilts were the State winners this year - they say 'from the Quilters Guild' so whether they are selected by them on merit of various awards won?

The one Below is the National Winner

 Below are the winner and the runner up from the AP&Q 'Seven Deadly Sins' Challenge

Then it moved onto smaller wallhanging and art style quilts

Second professional pictorial - I absolutely love this one, as a painter of sea themes from long back I love the way the fabric works as decaying rusty metal

First professional pictorial

Third amateur textile art

 

Second amateur textile art

First senior-secondary school (16-18)

Then there was a section withe the theme 'Essence of Australia' I think that these might have been invitational submissions, each one was a set of 6 placemat size quilts...

Can you even believe how awesome these are? There are closeups below of the animals - they are gorgeous!

Then back to the small quilts...

This one is crazy quilt style regarding the embellish... not an inch unstitched

Second professional small quilt

Third professional textile art

First professional textile art, best domestic machine quilting

First amateur textile art

First Amateur pictorial, Best wall quilt

I'm not being rude - look at the wonderful detail and colour transition

First amateur commercially quilted

Not my style at all, but interesting 3D flowers

Second open group / collaborative

Third professionally pieced

Third professionally commercially quilted

Third professional applique

Second professionally commercially quilted

Second amateur pictorial

Then a shibori exhibition