Back from Coffs Harbour

I have just returned from teaching at Be Creative by the Sea Retreat at Coffs Harbour on the north coast of NSW. What a wonderful experience - fabulous resort, delicious and plentiful food, great workshop venues and enthusiastic students.







I taught my designs Hidden Triangles and Opal Fire and each class produced an amazing variation of quilts. I can't wait to see the finished masterpieces. Here are a few of them.






Also as an added bonus I got to spend time with some of the absolute stars of Australian quilting teachers.

I had a wonderful time and have fingers crossed that I might be invited back.

I have been sewing

I have just finished a new quilt which I am quite pleased with. I can't show the completed picture yet but here are a few steps along the way.

Lots of fabric strips - I worked in five different colour families and used a combination of silks, hand dyes, linen, velvet hand painted and anything else I could find from my stash. I stabilized the slippery ones before cutting them into strips.
For each colour family I created a needle felted piece to add to the texture - also cut into random strips

Start of the layout - each block is either 2in square or 4x2in




I will show you the finished quilt as soon as I can.

My Baby

My baby has sent me some photos of his workplace. OK so he is not a baby but a grown man but to me he will always be my little boy. These photos have made me realise this.

Another Long Lunch

On Saturday I had my second luxurious lunch in 3 days. I don't eat this well for months on end but suddenly two in a week. Wonderful
We ate at Summer Salt which (again) is on the beach - Australia has a lot of beaches.

The view was from ground level this time and enhanced by a constant stream of kite surfers, wind surfers and hang gliders as well as the occasional intrepid surfer but it was a bit chilly for a dip in the ocean.

The food again was magnificent but the best part was the way we all got out our cameras as each course arrived. We must have looked like a bunch of geeks but we didn't care.

It was another 4 hour epic but I loved every second with my wonderful friends and great food. Who could ask for more.
Main Course - boned Lamb Shank with oyster mushrooms on a bed of garlic mash

Another main - rib eye steak

Desert - Bombe Alaska with strawberry ice cream inside.

Again - only toast for dinner.

Combination

My friend Rebekah has done my Fabrications and Beading workshops and has combined her skills into this wonderful quilt. It is now on it's way to friends in the UK but I managed to get a few shots before it went.
Sorry some of them are a bit out of focus.

Delicious Decadence

Today we were naughty and took the day off to join friends at a lunch put on by Delicious Magazine at Jonah's Restaurant at Whale Beach in Sydney. It was a little cloudy and a long drive but when we got there.

The food was wonderful as were the wines and I am not normally a drinker. This is the menu.

First two courses were small but delicious.


This is the view from the restaurant overlooking Whale Beach which is a bit of a millionaires playground I think. The houses in the area were enormous and had wonderful views over the ocean.

The best part of the meal was the desert. This pannacotta was creamy and luscious and wobbled in a way no food should.


We had a wonderful day - nothing like a four hour lunch to make you all warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks to Pennie for inviting us - can't wait for the next one.

Now what's for dinner???

Opal Fire

Opal Fire was the first quilt I designed using my own fabrics. It is a strip pieced wallhanging which only needs a few fat quarters and a longer length for the borders. I have seen it made in many colourways and sizes.
While I was teaching on the weekend - one of my customers came in with her version which is a wedding present for her son. She said it just grew and grew and she really enjoyed making it. I think she has done a wonderful job don't you?

Even the back is magnificent.

I am teaching this at Coffs Harbour in two weeks so I am sure I will see lots more wonderful versions.

Weekend Away

I had a lovely weekend in the Blue Mountains. Not really mountains by normal standards everywhere else but it's just what they are called. The blue refers to the blue haze given off by the eucalyptus trees.
The most famous landmark up there is the Three Sisters which we visited int he morning before class.

The view across the valley is wonderful and peaceful and at this time of the morning the only noise was the screaching of a flock of cockatoos in the valley.

We were doing Breaking the Drought which is a great way to get to know your machine. You embellish fabrics before cutting them up. One of my students was an English lady called Chris who was leaving for home the next day but said the class was one of the highlights of her trip. Lovely to think a little piece of Australia was going back to England.

The class was held at the Stitching Post which has a wonderful collection of fabrics and embroidery set in a lovely house with a beautiful garden. These grape leaves were turning into their autumn colours.
I am going back in August to run a Fabrications Workshop. Maybe you would like to join us.

Subscribing to Blogs

I am one of (apparently) 50 million blogs currently on the net - I wonder who counts them? I spend far too much time scrolling through them and going from link to link and getting inspired, amused, amazed and often overwhelmed by like minded souls and their work. I have recently started using Blogger Reader to let me know when my favourites have been updated but was still a bit confused about how to use RSS Readers.

This You Tube Video has made it all a bit clearer to me so thought you might find it useful too.

Hope you subscribe to mine after you watch it.

Off to teach Breaking the Drought in the chilly Blue Mountains this weekend.


I am really looking forward to a few days in the crisp mountain air and I know Peter is looking forward to two days of trawling through the book stores up there too.

FORTY THOUSAND VISITORS

Big moment today - sometime this afternoon someone in the US (I think) was my 40,000 visitor to this blog. I am pretty impressed with this milestone. Thanks to all of you who visit regularly - I really appreciate your comments and inspiration.

Prompted by yesterdays post Linda has sent in a photo of her kookaburra quilt made with some of our fabric.

Thanks Linda - he is very cute

Fabrics coming home

I love it when people send photos of quilts that they have made from my designs or our fabrics. Today I have two to show you.

Gail has made my Outback Nights quilt as a present for her son and daughter in law to celebrate their anninversary. She even managed to get it finished well before time. Her son and daughter in law love camping in the outback so this design really appealed to Gail.


Chris has made this quilt using our multicoloured fabric for the wide middle border. This quilt has been made for a dear friend fighting a battle with cancer as a gift for her partner. I hope it will give her great pleasure.

Goodies by Mail

I love it when parcels arrive. I have recently be tempted (it wasn't hard) into looking at Book Depository web site. I loved it as it not only gave a direct link to Amazon UK to compare prices, it doesn't charge shipping - even all the way down under.

I ordered three books a week or so ago and one arrived in 5 days and the other two arrived today - about 10 days. I am still waiting for an Amazon delivery I ordered two days before this one.

This is what today's mail brought - both very yummy and inspiring for when I get a chance to do some beading.

Oranges and Lemons

My latest quilt has just appeared in this months issue of the Australian magazine Down Under Quilts.
It is called Oranges and Lemons because I really liked the fabric set we dyed and they reminded me of lots of bright citrus fruits.

It is a simple strip pieced quilt cut into diamonds with a border.
The quilting is straight line parallels (well sort of).

It made the the cover of the issue which is wonderful but my scanner is not working so I can't scan it to show you.

It is available as a kit but until this issue of the magazine expires I am unable to sell my pattern separately so if you are interested but not in Australia I will supply a copy of the magazine.

Wonderful Exhibition

We went to an amazing exhibition on Tuesday at the Annandale Gallery in Sydney. Zadok Ben David is a sculptor who works in metals in the most intricate detail. These two pieces outside the Gallery were larger and life size (as was their prices - over $100,00) but were absolutely stunning.

Inside the exhibition was mainly trees and plants. All exquisitely executed and detailed. Tiny plants of paper thin polished metal on one side and accurately painted on the other. Only a few inches high and some were displayed in mirrored boxes showing both sides.

The two terrace houses next door to the Gallery had really wonderful mouldings on the doors and windows. Look at the two different faces on the adjoining front doors.

Wednesday saw me having a wonderful long lunch with Erica where time just disappeared as we talked and talked and talked. I love my life which allows me to spend my days like this.